KIEV // Former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, one of her country’s most polarising political figures, announced on Thursday that she will run for presidential elections set for May 25.
Her announcement came as the International Monetary Fund pledged up to US$18 billion (Dh66bn) in loans on Thursday to prop up Ukraine’s teetering economy, and the prime minister warned that everyone is going to feel some pain from the necessary financial reforms ahead.
Ms Tymoshenko, who was released from jail last month following the overthrow of her political rival, President Viktor Yanukovich, said she would stand to protect the unity of Ukraine.
Presidential elections are taking place against the backdrop of dismal economic conditions, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and rumblings of discontent in the country’s mainly Russian-speaking eastern provinces.
“I will be the candidate of Ukrainian unity,” Ms Tymoshenko said. “The west and centre of Ukraine has always voted for me, but I was born in the east, in Dnipropetrovsk.”
This will be her second attempt to secure the presidency. She narrowly lost to Mr Yanukovich in 2010.
Her renewed ascent to the forefront of public life marks the return of the most divisive figures in Ukraine’s political scene. She is variously admired as an icon of democracy and detested as a self-promoting manipulator with a shady past.
In a lengthy, passionate address to parliament, interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk warned that Ukraine was “on the brink of economic and financial bankruptcy” and laid out the fixes needed to put the country back on track.
“The time has come to tell the truth, to do difficult and unpopular things,” Mr Yatsenyuk said. “The country is short 289bn hryvna ($25.8bn), which is practically equivalent to the entire state budget for this year.”
The IMF loan, which is expected to range between $14bn and $18bn, hinges on structural reforms that Ukraine has pledged to undertake.
Ukraine’s new government finds itself caught between the demands of international creditors and a restive population that has endured decades of economic stagnation, corruption and mismanagement. Those reforms — which included raising taxes, a freeze on the minimum wage and higher energy prices — will hit households hard and are likely to strain the interim government’s tenuous hold on power.
Ukraine, a nation of 46 million people, is battling to instil some semblance of normality since Mr Yanukovich was removed from power in February after months of protests ignited by his decision to back away from closer relations with the EU in favour of deepening economic ties with Russia. Over the last few weeks, Ukraine has lost the Crimean Peninsula to annexation by Russia and is now bracing for a turbulent political season ahead of the May 25 presidential election.
* Associated Press
SPECS
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception