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Straits Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine, but can its economy keep pace?
Analysts say Russia wants to methodically destroy the Ukrainian military, as Moscow slowly advances its own troops. KYIV - Russia's summer offensive in Ukraine is gaining ground as its forces attack on multiple fronts. In June, the country's numerical advantages in troops and air power produced its biggest monthly gains in territory since the beginning of the year. Russia's aims are not simply territorial. Analysts say it wants to methodically destroy the Ukrainian military, as Moscow slowly advances its own troops. The biggest challenge for Moscow may be far from the front lines, as the Russian economy can no longer keep pace with escalating military spending. For Ukraine, its ability to sustain the war may also be decided far away, as the Trump administration sends mixed signals about its desire and ability to continue arming Kyiv's forces. Earlier in July, President Donald Trump said that Nato countries would buy weapons from the United States to give to Ukraine. The ground war Over the past two months, Russian units have been able to step up their attacks on multiple fronts, from Ukraine's Sumy region in the north to the steppes of Zaporizhzhia in the south. Russia now controls more than two-thirds of Ukraine's Donetsk region – the main theatre of the ground war. Russian forces have carved out a 10-mile-deep pocket around the Ukrainian troops defending the crucial city of Kostiantynivka, partly surrounding them from the east, south and west. Russia has also entered the Dnipropetrovsk region of eastern Ukraine for the first time in more than three years of war. Ukrainian soldiers say the Russian army uses two main tactics to advance on the battlefield: pinning down Ukrainian troops with drones, shells and glide bombs before attacking enemy lines with relentless squad assaults. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Business Me and My Money: He overcomes a $100k setback to build a thriving online tuition business Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay Ukraine responds by sending experienced, drone-equipped units to help plug the gaps, a tactic that has been compared to sending firefighters to contain flare-ups. But Russia's relentless attacks are placing a strain on Ukraine's outmanned army. Those attacks helped Russia make its largest territorial gains of the year in June. According to Deep State, a Ukrainian group that maps the conflict using drone footage and its links with the Ukrainian military, Russia gained more than 214 square miles of Ukrainian territory in June, up from 173 square miles in May. Putting those gains in context, Russia is capturing less than 0.1 per cent of Ukraine's vast territory each month. At that pace, it would take Moscow several years to occupy all of the four Ukrainian regions it declared annexed in 2022. The air war Away from the front lines, Russia has been increasing the toll it inflicts on the Ukrainian population at large by pummeling the country with mass-produced exploding drones. Over the past weeks, Russia has been setting records on the number of drones it sends into Ukraine. Russia recently launched 728 exploding drones and decoys in one nightly barrage, according to Ukraine's air force. As Russia builds up its drone-making infrastructure, military analysts expect Moscow to routinely launch more than 1,000 drones per volley by autumn. Kyiv was the main target earlier this month of an intense overnight bombardment, which killed at least two people and wounded 25 others, according to local officials. The Russian barrages also include cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Ukraine has a variety of air-defence systems – including improvised systems like fishing nets to snare drones – but the ballistic missiles can be shot down by only one air-defence system in Ukraine's arsenal: American Patriot missiles. But after a series of reversals by the Trump administration – which paused military aid and then agreed to sell weapons to European allies, which will then give them to Ukraine – Ukrainians are hopeful but cautious about whether they can count on US military support. Officials in Nato countries have proposed a plan where the Trump administration could sell weapons to its allies, which would then give them to Ukraine. That would be a financial windfall for the United States, and could also shield Mr Trump from accusations of direct involvement in the war. Last week, Mr Trump said he intended to adopt that strategy. Russia's goals Russia is not only seeking to win new territory in Ukraine. 'Its goal is to destroy Ukraine's military potential, its army,' Mr Valery Shiryaev, an independent Russian military analyst, said in an interview with Redaktsiya, an independent Russian news channel. 'If there is no army – the state would be defenceless.' The Kremlin has repeatedly said that it would continue pressing on in Ukraine until it can coerce Kyiv into accepting Moscow's peace terms. Russia has demanded that Ukraine recognize Russian territorial gains, shrink its military, designate Russian as an official language in Ukraine and formally commit to Ukrainian neutrality, which would rule out joining Nato. These demands are considered completely unacceptable by Ukraine's political leadership and its citizens. The Russian economy Analysts say that Russia may be spending unsustainable sums to fund the war, fuelling inflation, even as its oil and gas industry suffers from low energy prices, caused in part by Trump's tariffs. Oil exports finance about a third of Russia's total federal budget. At the end of June, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia was spending 6.3 per cent of its gross domestic product, or US$172.5 billion (S$221 billion), on its military, which was 'a lot' and that the country had 'paid for it with inflation.' The country's central bank set interest rates at 20 per cent to keep prices in check. 'We are planning to cut the defence expenses next year and the year after, as well during the next three years,' Mr Putin said. If he follows this plan and Russia reduces military spending, its ability to wage war will inevitably suffer. M.M.I., a leading Russian news outlet on Telegram dedicated to the economy, called the situation with the country's budget a 'catastrophe.' Spurred by record-high military expenditures, Russia's budget deficit has reached US$47 billion over the first half of the year. Because of lower prices, oil and gas revenues have dropped by more than 16 per cent, the country's Finance Ministry said. Casualties After releasing a few official death tolls early in the war, Russia stopped publishing any information about its losses. But teams of researchers and experts have sifted through publicly available data, like obituaries and inheritance records, to identify and verify casualties. To date, they have confirmed more than 115,000 deaths in the Russian military. A study in June found that nearly 1 million Russian troops had been killed or wounded in the war. According to Mr Dmitri Kuznets, a military analyst with the Russian news outlet Meduza, which was outlawed by the Kremlin and operates from Latvia, both Ukraine and Russia are now losing between 250 and 300 service members each day, based on available data. In 2025, Russia has still been able to attract an average of about 30,000 new service members per month, according to government statements and an analysis of budgetary data conducted by Dr Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. But it was able to do so only by spending lavishly on its military, offering outsize sign-up bonuses and salaries. 'Both sides have devoted last year to increase sustainability – so that they could continue fighting no matter what happens,' Mr Kuznets said. NYTIMES
Straits Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Germany's Berger seizes her moment in shootout win over France
BASEL - Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger embodied her side's spirit of resistance in their Women's Euro quarter-final as they bounced back from an early red card and the concession of a goal to take France to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes before beating them 6-5 in a shootout that saw her save two spot-kicks and score one herself. The 34-year-old, who has twice beaten cancer, lives by the motto of "All we have is now", and she seized her moment on Saturday, pulling off an incredible save to prevent a second-half own goal and then powering her side through to the semi-finals, where they will face Spain in Zurich on Wednesday. "I was not happy that we had to go to the penalty shootout because I would have loved to have won the game in 90 minutes and have it done and dusted," Berger told reporters before paying tribute to her squad. "I think credit should go to the team, not me, because maybe it (my save) was the decisive moment in the penalty shootout, but we, everyone here, should talk about this with him (coach Christian Wueck) now about the performance of the team, because that was amazing and incredible." Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nuesken had a penalty saved in normal time but converted in the shootout, and she was full of praise for Berger's skills. "She's an amazing goalkeeper. She's so calm, she's so clever. I knew she would save the penalties. She's such an amazing goalkeeper, and we are very happy that she's in our team," Nuesken said. With defender Kathrin Hendrich sent off in the 13th minute for pulling an opponent's hair, the Germans had to battle for more than 100 minutes with one player fewer than their French counterparts, but despite their heroics, Berger did not want to promise that they would beat Spain to make the final. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Tampines regional centre set to get more homes, offices and public amenities Multimedia How to make the most out of small homes in Singapore Life US tech CEO Andy Byron resigns after viral Coldplay 'kiss cam' video Asia From toy to threat: 'Killer kites' bring chaos to Indonesian airspace Opinion I thought I was a 'chill' parent. Then came P1 registration Singapore 'God and government are the only things beyond our control,' says Group CEO Business Me and My Money: He overcomes a $100k setback to build a thriving online tuition business Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay "We do everything one step at a time -- first of all we celebrate, then we focus on Spain, there is a very hard and tough opponent we have to face and everybody really gave their ultimate effort here and we need to regenerate, we have to make sure we recover," Berger explained. "We like the stadium for the final match, and we will continue to progress towards that," she added. REUTERS
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We support the status quo': Australia's Albanese on Taiwan
STORY: :: Anthony Albanese says Australia 'supports the status quo' on Taiwan during his China visit :: July 13, 2025 :: Shanghai, China :: Anthony Albanese, Australian Prime Minister "I think it's important that we have a consistent position which Australia has had for a long period of time. We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan, we don't support any unilateral action there. We have a clear position, and we have been consistent about that. What's important when it comes to international relationships is that you have a stable, orderly, coherent position going forward. Australia does. We want peace and security in our region. We don't want any change to the status quo. That's Australia's position today. That was Australia's position last week. That's been a bipartisan position for a long period of time." The Financial Times reported on Saturday (July 12) that Elbridge Colby, the U.S. under-secretary of defense for policy, has been pushing Australian and Japanese officials on what they would do in a Taiwan conflict, although the U.S. does not offer a blank check guarantee to defend Taiwan. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te rejects China's sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future. Security is expected to be on the agenda when Albanese meets China's leaders this week. After his arrival in Shanghai, Albanese watched on as Tourism Australia and Group signed a memorandum of understanding that will promote Australia as a premier tourist destination for Chinese travelers.
Japan Today
11-07-2025
- Japan Today
China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries to draw tourists
Tourists take a selfie at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing on June 15. By FU TING Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 — almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. 'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. 'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own,' he said. After lifting tough COVID-19 restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan. About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis. For Norwegian traveler Øystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't very often open, so it was much harder' he said. 'The new visa policies are 100% beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specializes in boutique and luxury routes for international travelers. She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic. While the U.S. remains their largest source market, accounting for around 30% of their current business, European travelers now make up 15–20% of their clients, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao. 'We're quite optimistic' Zhao said, 'we hope these benefits will continue.' Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, said the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, with 75% of the visitors from visa-free regions. No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent's relatively close ties with China. Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country's National Immigration Administration. The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren't: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Aside from the UK, Sweden is the only other high-income European country that didn't make the 30-day list. Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish book seller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in 2020. Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China. Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Malaysian Reserve
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Malaysian Reserve
Travel Trailblazers: Top Global Finalists Shortlisted for Trip.com Group's Tourism Innovation Awards
Shortlisted nominees include Las Vegas' the Afterlife show at the Sphere, London's ABBA Voyage, Giza's Grand Egyptian Museum and Tokyo's teamLab Borderless Final top ten award winners to be announced end July, with a total prize pool of USD $1.4 million SINGAPORE, July 11, 2025 /CNW/ — Meet the future of travel – Group has released the top contenders for its Tourism Innovation Awards, as the selection process enters the final stages to select outstanding projects driving tourism growth globally. Notable international projects in the running include the Afterlife show at the Sphere (Las Vegas), ABBA Voyage (London), Azabudai Hills teamLab Borderless (Tokyo) and the Grand Egyptian Museum (Giza). First announced at the Group's Envision 2025 Global Partner Conference, the global awards aim to honour and spur outstanding innovation in tourism across fields like sustainability, technology and cultural heritage. Based on Group data, the top nominated projects have been a strong catalyst for tourism, driving an average of 51% increase in destination orders and 42% increase in destination search volume, measured year-on-year within the first three months of opening. Trailblazing the Path of Tourism Innovation One of the top-voted international projects on the list is the Afterlife show at the Sphere in Las Vegas, widely popular for its immersive audiovisual experience that has redefined the boundaries of live entertainment. Using the Sphere's unique 16K LED dome screen as well as state-of-the-art technology, audiences are immersed in a sensory experience that transcends reality. Likewise, the ABBA Voyage concert in London has earned a spot on the nominated list for blending ABBA's classic music with virtual technology to create an immersive performance for music fans. Also making the list is the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, which has attracted global visitors since its soft opening last year. The museum's vast collection of over 100,000 ancient artifacts, innovative architectural design and use of holographic technology make it a strong contender for the awards. Other noteworthy projects on the nominated list are teamLab Borderless, an immersive digital art museum in Tokyo's Azabudai Hills and the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, which has attracted many gaming enthusiasts to explore its interactive showcase of the evolution of video games. Innovative, Impactful and Potential for Sustainable Growth Shortlisted projects are assessed using an evaluation framework consisting of three components, the first being data that demonstrates the project's driving effect on destination popularity. This includes the project's social media influence, as well as bookings made on The second is public voting, which took place from May 26 to June 30. Lastly, the projects will be scored by a panel of judges consisting of industry experts from international tourist organisations and authorities such as the European Travel Commission, Global Sustainable Tourism Council and World Travel & Tourism Council. Public voting and expert scoring will evaluate the shortlisted projects across these three core criteria, a reflection of the award's objective to support innovation and development in the tourism industry: Innovation – breakthroughs in technology application, travel experiences, local cultural expression and cross-sector collaboration Sustainability – positive contribution to environmental impact, employment and community development Scalability – potential and feasibility of replicating the project's model in other destinations 'Travellers seek authentic, meaningful experiences and are increasingly aware of their environmental footprint. These projects show how innovation and sustainability can go hand in hand to drive growth while preserving culture and the environment. By spotlighting them, we aim to inspire others across the sector to bring forward bold, transformative ideas that will shape the future of Travel & Tourism,' said Virginia Messina, Executive Vice President of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and one of the expert panel judges. More details on the top nominated projects can be viewed here. Winners will be announced at the end of the month and the final ten outstanding contributors will each receive a USD $60,000 prize. About Group Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising of Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission 'to pursue the perfect trip for a better world'. Find out more about Group here: Follow us on: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
