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This is Ukraine’s deadly Jeanne d’Arc

SINGAPORE - Retiree Steven Chia placed an order for a Mercedes-Benz GLB from authorised agent Cycle & Carriage last September, and waited seven months for it to be delivered - more than double the usual time. Mr Chia, 62, said: "I was supposed to collect my car last December or January this year, but I was told that because of the Covid-19 lockdowns and the war in Ukraine, shipment was delayed. I finally got my car on April 23." For motorists looking to buy a new car, be prepared to wait - possibly as long as Mr Chia, if not longer. Carmakers reeling from supply chain disruptions brought about by the pandemic are now facing another whammy - the prolonged war in Ukraine. The Eastern European country invaded by Russia in February is a major supplier of automotive parts - from electronic components to seats to wire harnesses, which bundle kilometres of electrical wires in a vehicle. The conflict is disrupting production, and this is affecting more than a dozen vehicle manufacturers, including Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, BMW and Renault. Unlike the chip shortage, which manufacturers could overcome by leaving out certain features, a vehicle cannot be assembled without wire harnesses. While Japanese and Korean manufacturers are less affected, the war also has other indirect consequences like raw material costs, which is impacting the entire industry. Associate Professor Tan Yan Weng, head of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences' (SUSS) School of Business, said car buyers can expect delays of new model launches as well as longer delivery timelines. "For certain makes of cars, a lead time of three months may now be six to eight months," said Prof Tan. A senior manager at a major dealership said: "Almost every other month, there's an update of production delay or new model launch delay. Everything is so fluid. "It is still manageable now as we have ample existing stock to sell. But things may worsen towards the last quarter of the year." Volkswagen Group Singapore managing director Ricky Tay said the company currently has a "sufficient supply of cars to cater to sales". "It is a blessing in disguise because demand has fallen with high COE prices," said Mr Tay, but he admitted there was uncertainty ahead. He reckons that electric cars are bearing the brunt of the supply chain disruption, echoing what Volkswagen Group chief executive Herbert Diess has said. Mr Diess said in a recent interview with Financial Times that the economic risks posed by the Russian-Ukraine war were "very much worse" than those posed by the pandemic. His German counterparts, however, were more coy when asked about the impact the latest supply chain crisis had on the Singapore car market. An Audi Singapore spokesman said two new electric models due to be launched next year are now "pushed back by two years". Two other models - the SQ7 and SQ8 - which were due here in the first quarter of this year are also slightly delayed. But she said the latter was not because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but because of another ongoing supply chain disruption: insufficient shipping capacity. Other new car arrivals that are delayed include the Toyota Corolla Cross (from third quarter to fourth) and the BMW 8-series range (second quarter to third). BMW Group Asia managing director Lars Nielsen said: "The war in Ukraine is impacting the country's automotive supply industry. Combined with the ongoing semiconductor bottlenecks, these supply limitations can lead to production adjustments and downtimes at our European plants. "While we do not foresee any immediate impact on our business in Singapore, we are faced with a positive challenge of more demand than supply." A Daimler South East Asia spokesman said delays in the delivery of Mercedes-Benz cars here cannot be ruled out. "In Singapore, we are working intensively with our authorised dealer Cycle & Carriage to ensure our customers receive their new vehicle as soon as possible. However, since the situation remains volatile, partial delivery time shifts for individual vehicle models cannot be ruled out completely." Porsche admitted that there is a longer waiting time for delivery of some models, but did not elaborate. "We view the armed conflict in Ukraine with great concern, and the degree of impact on our business activities is still continuously determined by experts in a task force team in Germany," said a spokesman for Porsche Asia Pacific. Ms Jasmmine Wong, chief executive of Toyota and Suzuki dealer Inchcape Greater China and Singapore, said customers who bought two recently launched models - the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Lexus NX450h+ - will experience a "slightly longer waiting time". "We still have stock for customers who do not insist on certain colours," she said, but otherwise, the wait will be "three to four months" versus "one to two months" previously. Ms Wong added that the delay is not because of Ukraine, but the ongoing supply chain disruption. Over at Tesla Singapore, there is still no word on when the Model Y will go on sale here despite the car having been inspected and approved for sale by the Land Transport Authority back in early January. It is understood that the delay is because of Shanghai's latest Covid-19 lockdown in March. Tesla registered only one car in April - down from a monthly average of 60 units in the first quarter, and around 150 a month when it started delivering cars from July last year. Source: Straits Times

Source: https://mustsharenews.com/ukraine-dog-explosives/ Friendly Bomb-Sniffing Dog In Ukraine Receives Award For Efforts Many Ukrainian citizens are on the frontlines of the war in Ukraine as we speak. Amongst them is an unexpected tiny warrior, doing his part to defend the country. Affectionately named Patron by fellow soldiers, a dog trained in the art of sniffing out bombs regularly contributed to Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia. He has unearthed a massive number of explosives and is popular among citizens of the country. Ukraine army dog receives award for uncovering explosives The New York Times reported that the dog was presented with a state award on Sunday (8 May) for supporting the war efforts in Ukraine. Patron, whose name translates to “ammo” in Ukrainian, is a member of Ukraine’s wartime forces against Russia. He regularly helps to sniff out mines in the northeastern city of Chernihiv and is also the mascot for the State Emergency Service in Ukraine. During the ceremony in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv, President Zelenskyy praised Patron for his hard work. He added that the friendly canine had found more than 200 explosive devices to date. Patron’s owner, Mykhailo Iliev of the Civil Protection Service, reportedly taught him pyrotechnic work. Patron’s talent in the field has since saved the lives of countless Ukrainians. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also attended the ceremony and had the privilege of meeting the canine celebrity. Rose to fame for adorable nature Patron is well-loved in Ukraine, his friendly nature endearing himself to adults and children alike. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs first shared about Patron through a tweet on 25 Apr, describing him as a service dog that’s working closely with deminers to keep the country safe. Since then, numerous tweets and videos of Patron have made rounds on social media, enabling his rapid rise to fame. In one video shared by the Strategic Communicates Centre of Ukraine, Patron furiously digs through dirt in pursuit of undiscovered mines. In yet another short clip, Patron clambers into a soldier’s lap after he straps on a vest. Patron is especially beloved by children due to his petit stature and loveable disposition. Through his amiable nature, he also helped them understand the various safety rules in areas rife with mine threats. Kudos to Patron for his hard work The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has undeniably led to much devastation and heartbreak for the country. Hopefully, inspirational figures like Patron will continue motivating citizens throughout the conflict. We praise Patron for his efforts thus far in protecting Ukrainian citizens from danger. We hope that he’ll continue to aid fellow soldiers in the ongoing invasion.

The Harvard School of Infectious Disease has made an important discovery and with the aid of the New England Journal of Science and the New York Sentinel, the trial of medicine, politics and money as well as what has not been revealed is intriguing... The newspaper discovered that our friendly neighborhood North Korean leader has been developing a new strain of Covid virus and he of course does not bother to follow convention, but decided it should called the "Shibal" strain and his funding? Yes, you guessed it, from our friendly Pudding.. who had intended it to be used in Ukraine, but even more maliciously, in other countries beginning with USA. The concept was that travelers will take the strain over and since testing and restrictions have been largely lifted, this will start panic in the countries and the world will suffer, the economies will tank and then yield to his Russian oil, and allow him to take over Ukraine. This strain was secretly made months before, and was meant to be released during the initial wave of the conflict, combining panic and striking confusion into the enemy. The unique part of this strain is that it combines the lethality of the Delta strain, the fast spreading nature of the Omnicron one, but tends to elicit a much lower antigen response. This means that our current ART or even PCR tests may have difficulty picking up this strain and thereby allowing carriers to slip past the borders undetected, creating havoc in the target populations. Here comes the twist... it seems that the first batches were sent via land to avoid detection in regular trucks carrying supplies, and the route was meant to send the vials - hidden in food containers, to areas near the border, where they would be injected into captured Ukraine soldiers and civilians, who would then be sent back to their country as part of a seemingly good humanitarian effort by the Russians. What went wrong was that the North Korean crew driving it got lost and had to ask directions, and unfortunately for them, but good for the rest of the world, they met some Ukrainians instead, and these Koreans couldn't tell the difference in their language, so the Ukrainians directed them to the Ukraine armed forces, who have now got hold of the Shibal strain. The Ukrainians then enlisted the help of the CIA, who then recruited top scientists from Pfizer, and they promptly developed vaccines to this, and have been quietly shipping this along with the anti tank missiles, using the very same containers to avoid detection. So in the twist of fate, the Ukraine army has been injecting the same virus into the captured Russians, and then releasing them back to their armies, and also spreading it with their drones in an aerosol version - which is quiet and deadly. This may explain partly why the Russians have been so inept and their lack of ferocity.. There were also talks by ol' Joe to release it into Russia itself, but thus far, Congress has been reluctant to spread the conflict and cause a backfire... But in a twist of irony, the funding for the vaccines came from Russian money confiscated by the Americans. The story continues.... What a cloak and dagger thing, fit for Hollywood no less.....

https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/ukrainian-airplane-with-180-aboard-crashes-in-iran-fars?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=STFB&utm_source=Facebook First major aircrash of 2020. Reports says its a technical issue. Let's all hope this has nothing to do with the recent Iran-US spat. Just read an article about SIA diverting all its flights over Iran, then this news. RIP to all the victims.

A Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in eastern Ukraine, Russian news agency Interfax reported Thursday. Google for more. Above from CNN

越南新娘不吃香　乌克兰美女争嫁狮城男 Vietnamese brides are not popular in Ukraine beautiful women compete to marry a Lion male. There are at least more than 10 Nongmeidayan Ukraine beauty to fight to marry Lion Lang. Vietnamese brides are no longer popular, matchmaking company to introduce Ukrainian beauty with a devil figure to the Lion man! There are currently more than 10 from Ukraine, accountants, teachers, businessmen and managers looking for Lion husband. In the past 10 years, many Vietnamese women married into Singapore, but the unhappy marriage, and even the frequently heard examples ended in divorce. In addition, the Vietnamese women like married into Singapore and other countries, leading to a Vietnamese man a wife is hard to find, the Vietnamese Government so the legislative ban marriage intermediary arrangements Vietnamese women married abroad. This leads to the Vietnamese bride can not be longer at the Singapore men's welcome. Local marriage agency to find new business opportunities, now got the beauty of Ukraine, to the Lion City man pairing. First Overseas International Matchmaker, boss Zhuoxin Cheng respondents said that since the beginning of this year the company began to open up new sources of foreign brides, set out on the online photos of the former Soviet Republic of Ukraine beauty, hope they find a nice ring. 17.08.2012 Shin Min Daily News ", please read the complete report.

On August 30 2016, members of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AICC) and the Antonov Corporation, the leading Ukrainian aviation company, signed an agreement to restart production of the AN-225, the world's largest cargo aircraft which first flown during the final days of the Soviet era in 1988. The contract includes the establishment of two large production facilities for the new AN-225, located in Central and Southern China. Antonov will deliver the necessary technological and purchase production equipment for the Chinese. The first completely redesigned AN-225 is expected to start flying in 2019. An-225 weights 640 ton, powered by six engines is 84 meters in length and a wingspan of over 88 meters. It carries a payload of 250 tons ( or about 100 Terrex ICV armored vehicle. ) http://www.popsci.com/china-will-resurrect-worlds-largest-plane

Ukraine has accused Russia of carrying out an armed invasion by sending naval forces to occupy Sevastopol airport in the Crimea region. Russia's Black Sea Fleet denies its servicemen are blocking the airport. Another Crimean airport, Simferopol, has also been occupied by armed men, thought to be pro-Russia militia. Relations between the two countries have been strained since Viktor Yanukovych was ousted as Ukrainian president last week. Continue reading the main story At the Scene Christian FraserBBC News, near Sevastopol airport Sevastopol is by name an international airport, but civilian flights stopped some years ago, and it is owned by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence. So it would be of no real consequence that soldiers are guarding a military base were it not for the fact no-one knows whose orders they are obeying. There are roadblocks springing up from here to the administrative capital Simferopol. The local parliament is in session there, but is sharing the municipal building with a paramilitary unit, and Simferopol airport is also under protection. The interim interior minister, however, is quite clear on his Facebook page who he thinks these units are. They are answering to the Russian Federation he said - and this, he adds, is a military takeover. Mr Yanukovych is now in Russia and expected to hold a news conference later in the city of Rostov-on-Don, near the Ukrainian border. He disappeared after leaving office but resurfaced in Russia on Thursday, asserting that he is still Ukraine's lawful president. Ukraine's general prosecutor has said he will ask Russia to extradite Mr Yanukovych, if it is confirmed that he is still there. In other developments: The BBC has seen eight trucks with the black plates of the Russian army moving towards Simferopol Unconfirmed reports say eight Russian military helicopters have arrived in Sevastopol Ukraine's central bank has put a 15,000 hryvnia (1,000 euro; £820) limit on daily cash withdrawals Armed Forces chief Yuriy Ilyin, appointed earlier this month by Mr Yanukovych, is sacked Ukraine's parliament calls on the UN Security Council to discuss the unfolding crisis in Crimea Lynchpin of struggle These tensions between Russia and Ukraine in the wake of Mr Yanukovych's departure have been particularly evident in Crimea, Ukraine's only Russian-majority region. The BBC's Bridget Kendall, in Moscow, says the Crimea is becoming the lynchpin of a struggle between Ukraine's new leaders and those loyal to Russia. Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Russian soldiers had arrived in Sevastopol military airport near Russia's Black Sea Fleet Base on Friday morning. The men were patrolling outside, backed up by armoured vehicles, but Ukrainian military and border guards remained inside, Mr Avakov said. "I consider what has happened to be an armed invasion and occupation in violation of all international agreements and norms," Mr Avakov said on his Facebook page. Armed men also arrived at Simferopol airport overnight, some carrying Russian flags. A man called Vladimir told Reuters news agency he was a volunteer helping the group there, though he said he did not know where they came from. Continue reading the main story Crimea's airportsSimferopol is the main international terminal, serving the regional capital Sevastopol, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, has a Soviet-era military airport (Belbek) which was also used for civilian flights until some years ago. Ukrainian air force jets are stationed there The Russian Black Sea Fleet has aircraft stationed at other air bases in Crimea (Gvardeyskaya and Kacha) "I'm with the People's Militia of Crimea. We're simple people, volunteers," he said. Andriy Parubiy, acting chairman of Ukraine's National Security Council, has claimed that both airports are now back under the control of Ukrainian authorities. The airport occupation is latest in a series of moves to raise fears of unrest in Crimea, which traditionally leans towards Russia. On Thursday, a group of unidentified armed men entered Crimea's parliament building by force, and hoisted a Russian flag on the roof. The Crimean parliament later announced it would hold a referendum on expanding the region's autonomy from Ukraine on 25 May. Russian President Vladimir Putin has urged his government to maintain relations with Kiev, but he is also giving the Crimean government humanitarian aid. US Secretary of State John Kerry has called on all sides to "step back and avoid any kind of provocations". Financial strain On top of its political problems, Ukraine also faces huge financial hurdles. It says it needs $35 billion over the next two years to avoid default on its loans. Russia has suspended the next instalment of a $15bn loan because of the political uncertainty. Switzerland and Austria announced on Friday that it had launched an investigation against Mr Yanukovych and his son Aleksander for "aggravated money laundering". Austria also said it had frozen the assets of 18 Ukrainians suspected of violating human rights and involvement in corruption. It did not give any names. Crimea - where ethnic Russians are in a majority - was transferred from Russia to Ukraine in 1954. Ethnic Ukrainians loyal to Kiev and Muslim Tatars - whose animosity towards Russia stretches back to Stalin's deportations during World War Two - have formed an alliance to oppose any move back towards Moscow. Russia, along with the US, UK and France, pledged to uphold the territorial integrity of Ukraine in a memorandum signed in 1994. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26379722

more n more PRC dating and married Ukranian gals. like below maybe i will make a trip there in the near future

Sleeping beauties await prince's kiss in Ukraine http://sg.news.yahoo.com/sleeping-beauties...-063153562.html ..It wasn't exactly Prince Charming but one of Ukraine's "Sleeping Beauties" finally got a kiss on the lips as she dozed on a dais filmed by cameras -- though unlike the fairy tale she never woke up. "I'm not sure I would marry precisely this girl, I just was curious whether she would open her eyes," said the young woman who dared the embrace while male visitors shied away. The venue was Ukraine's National Art Museum and the stakes were -- marriage. Visitors at a wacky performance called "Sleeping Beauty" were allowed to kiss a series of volunteer Sleeping Beauties -- but only if they signed an undertaking to marry the woman if she "wakes up". Those reluctant to commit to a perfect stranger were allowed to look at the "princess" slumbering in a white dress in the dimly lit room, but not lock lips. "I'm not ready to kiss a woman on the first date, and it's definitely the first time I've ever seen her," said Oleksandr Dankov, 43, after choosing not to steal a smooch. But "perhaps I'll come again," he told AFP. Yana Krasnokutska, 23, was more daring. "It's a fairy tale, so I was just curious to try it," she told AFP, smiling after kissing the "Beauty" lightly on the lips. The performance was created by Ukrainian-Canadian artist Taras Polataiko, who said he had been working on this project for the last two years. He was inspired by the well-loved fairytale in which a young princess is put under a curse and sleeps for hundreds of years along with her kingdom. She is finally awoken by a kiss from a prince who loves her. The women in Kiev slept in public for two hour-long shifts each day, with a half-hour break between. "The idea behind the project is patience," Polataiko told AFP. "Our people can be patient for a long time. While Beauty is sleeping, the entire kingdom is also sleeping. If the kingdom is to be woken, the Beauty must be woken." Polataiko said that he chose as his Sleeping Beauties attractive women who were also looking for a steady partner. "All the five girls I've chosen are gorgeous, smart and waiting for a true love," he said, adding that he initially planned having only one Sleeping Beauty but ended giving the others a chance too. "We have three or four visitors every day willing to awake the Sleeping Beauty, both men and women," he told AFP. "This isn't a marriage agency. It's magic, it's a fairy tale. No one knows how it will end," said Polataiko. Natalya Bakovskaya, 27, was the first sleeping beauty to do a three-day stint waiting for her prince after her sisters told her about the casting call on television. "When it started, I got really involved in it and felt as if I was in a fairy tale," she told AFP. "I could hardly sleep with all the cameras and visitors on the first day, but afterwards I enjoyed the two hours of the rest in the middle of the day and even felt a kind of drowsiness," Bakovskaya said. She said she did not open her eyes and so never did find her prince, although one of the kisses she received was "especially memorable". Later she tried watching a video of her kisses to identify the young man who kissed her on the first day, but did not succeed. Finally the fairy tale ended with a non-traditional twist as the fourth Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes after a kiss, to find not a prince, but a princess. "I was astonished when I opened my eyes and saw a girl," translator Yana Gurzhiy, 24, told AFP after she decided to open her eyes when she was kissed on the forehead. Ukraine does not allow gay marriage, making it impossible for Gurzhiy to tie the knot with her pursuer, but she said she had felt a connection with the woman who kissed her, whom she named only as Katya. "I believe it is not a coincidence we had to meet this way. She's a very interesting person, so I hope we'll have some kind of professional and creative partnership." A fifth Sleeping Beauty was set to take her place in the performance, which was to end September 9. ..

[extract] This is not your normal car review conducted by experienced automotive journalists. The reviewer is Irina Olhovskaya, a blonde playboy model from the Ukraine. She