Latest news with #defenseMinistry
Bloomberg
07-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
KLM to Lend Pilots to Dutch Air Force for Fighter Jet Duties
Dutch flag carrier KLM agreed to lend pilots to the country's air force, increasing the airline's cooperation with the defense ministry after criticism it was poaching military aviators. The airline, a unit of Air France-KLM, will initially make five full-time pilot slots available to fly F-35s for the Dutch Air Force as reservists, according to a press release on Monday. The company pledged to 'intensify cooperation in other areas as well.'
Russia Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Ex-Ukrainian defense minister's home raided in corruption probe
Ukrainian anti-corruption authorities have reportedly raided the home of former defense minister Aleksey Reznikov, according to several Ukrainian media outlets citing sources familiar with the matter. Officers from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) seized an 'undeclared' smartphone and certain documents from Reznikov's apartment, according to reports by and ZN. The outlets did not specify whether the former minister was detained or questioned during the operation. NABU has yet to issue an official statement. Sources close to Reznikov confirmed that a raid had taken place but denied that any items were seized. The investigation is said to be connected to a major embezzlement case dating back to Reznikov's time as defense minister. In early April, NABU announced that it was investigating the misappropriation of more than 733 million hryvnas (approximately $17.6 million) earmarked for military food procurement. The suspects also allegedly attempted to embezzle an additional 788 million hryvnas (about $18.9 million) under the same scheme. Reznikov was not listed as a suspect at the time, NABU noted. However, media reports suggested that his potential involvement in the scheme remained under scrutiny. During Reznikov's tenure, the Defense Ministry was entangled in several corruption scandals. One involved the purchase of jackets that reportedly tripled in price between shipment and delivery. At various points, senior ministry officials were accused of buying food for troops at inflated prices and making payments to questionable firms for substandard goods or supplies that never arrived. A wave of media investigations in early 2023 exposed the alleged abuses, prompting a public outcry and ultimately leading to Reznikov's resignation in September of that year. Four months later, his successor, Rustem Umerov, stated that an internal ministry audit had uncovered approximately $262 million in losses related to theft. Umerov himself is also reportedly under investigation by anti-corruption authorities for alleged abuse of power in connection with defense procurement.
The Herald
26-06-2025
- The Herald
Armed men on motorbikes kill 34 Niger soldiers, says ministry
Several hundred armed men, many on motorbikes, attacked a Niger army base near the border with Mali, leaving at least 34 soldiers dead and 14 wounded, the defence ministry said. The attackers — described as "mercenaries" by the ministry — used eight vehicles and more than 200 motorbikes in the raid on the base in Bani-bangou on Thursday, according to the statement read out on state TV. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on the army base in a statement on its Telegram channel on Friday. Niger, like other countries in West Africa's Sahel region, is battling Islamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. Troops carried out aerial and ground search operations to secure the area after the attack, the ministry said without going into more detail on the assault. Reuters
CTV News
25-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
ADVERTISEMENT Winnipeg Watch Road work slows traffic in St. Vital , some areas reopening as wildfire risk drops: CTV Morning Live Highlights of your CTV Morning Live news and weather for June 25.
BREAKING NEWS: Canada commits to new NATO defence spending pledge to hit 5 per cent of GDP by 2035
Free Malaysia Today
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Russia and Ukraine swap more POWs in second exchange in two days
Russian servicemen cheer and wave flags on a bus in Belarus after returning from captivity during a Russia-Ukraine POW exchange. (AP pic) MOSCOW : Russia and Ukraine completed another round of prisoner exchanges on Friday, officials in both countries said, part of a recent agreement to swap POWs and the bodies of dead soldiers. Neither Russian nor Ukrainian officials specified how many people were involved in the exchange, the second in two days. Writing on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said most of his country's POWs had been held by Russia for more than two years, and had been captured across various parts of the sprawling front line. Russia's defence ministry said the Russian POWs included in the exchange were currently in Belarus, which shares borders with both warring countries. The two countries have carried out a series of swaps of captured troops and the remains of dead soldiers since renewing peace talks in Istanbul last month after a gap of more than three years.
