The US House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine on Wednesday night as part of a $1.5 trillion deal to fund the US government through September. AFP
The US House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine on Wednesday night as part of a $1.5 trillion deal to fund the US government through September. AFP
The US House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine on Wednesday night as part of a $1.5 trillion deal to fund the US government through September. AFP
The US House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine on Wednesday night as part of a $1.5 trillion deal to fund the US government through September. AFP

US House approves $13.6bn in aid for Ukraine


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The US House of Representatives approved $13.6 billion in aid to Ukraine as the country continues to fend off Russia's invasion, along with $1.5 trillion to fund the federal government through September 30.

The House approved the wide-ranging appropriations in bipartisan votes on Wednesday night, sending the legislation to the Senate which aims to act by a midnight Friday deadline when existing US government funds expire.

The aid for Ukraine is intended to help the country bolster its forces as it battles Russian troops and provide humanitarian assistance to citizens.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated that the $13.6bn is likely to be just the tip of a much broader aid effort.

"All of us will have to do more" to help Ukraine in coming weeks or months and over the long-term to help it rebuild, Ms Pelosi said, referring to the US and its Nato allies.

Legislation to ban US imports of Russian oil and other energy was also passed, receiving broad support from Democrats and Republicans. President Joe Biden signed an executive order this week banning imports of Russian oil.

Lawmakers abandoned an effort to attach language revoking Russia's permanent normal trade relations status, which would have allowed the US to raise tariffs on Russian imports above levels afforded all members of the World Trade Organisation.

A plan for $15.6bn for the US Covid-19 response was scrapped at the last minute. Democrats hope to revisit the Covid aid next week in separate legislation.

Acting White House budget director Shalanda Young urged the House and Senate to act promptly to send the Ukraine aid and government funding measure to the White House for Mr Biden's signature.

"The bipartisan funding bill is proof that both parties can come together to deliver for the American people and advance critical national priorities," Ms Young said in a statement.

The legislation will also renew and expand the Magnitsky human rights law to ease the way for further US sanctions on Russia.

The omnibus spending plan will boost funding for domestic priorities, including money for infrastructure passed under an earlier bipartisan measure to revamp US roads, bridges and broadband internet.

The plan includes $730bn in nondefence funding and $782bn in defence funding.

"This bipartisan agreement will help us address many of the major challenges we face at home and abroad: from Covid-19, to the vicious and immoral attack on Ukraine, to the need to lower costs for hardworking American families," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.

It also includes new measures to protect US infrastructure from cyber attacks "by Russia and other bad actors".

The measure will also reauthorise the Violence Against Women Act, Ms Pelosi and Mr Schumer said.

Agencies contributed to this report

  • A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
    A Ukrainian serviceman walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
  • An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
    An apartment building damaged after shelling in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP Photo
  • A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
    A woman puts her head in her hands as she sits on a cot in a shelter, set up for displaced persons fleeing Ukraine, inside a school gymnasium in Przemysl, Poland. AP Photo
  • Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
    Belarussian and suspected Russian helicopters on the flight line at Machulishchy Air Base outside Minsk, Belarus. AP Photo
  • Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
    Children look on as people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine shelter in a school, in Drohobych, Ukraine. Reuters
  • Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
    Families eat in the shelter. Reuters
  • A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
    A woman looks out from a building damaged by Russian shelling in Mykolaiv, 100 kilometres away from Odesa, western Ukraine. AFP
  • A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
    A wounded Ukrainian man waits in the corridor of the central hospital of Mykolaiv. AFP
  • An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
    An elderly woman is carried in a shopping cart after being rescued from Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine. AP
  • A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
    A woman reacts as a train carrying children from Kyiv's Central Children's Hospital leaves the Ukrainian capital on its way to Lviv. Reuters
  • A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
    A girl sits in an improvised bomb shelter in Mariupol, Ukraine. AP
  • An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
    An elderly woman is coated in snow as she sits in a wheelchair after being rescued from Irpin. AP
  • Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
    Belarusian volunteers take part in military exercises at the Belarusian Company base in Kyiv. AP
  • Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
    Lessa, left, director of a nursery school turned into a refugee shelter, cries as she hugs Olega, who arrived from Kyiv with her baby, near Lviv. EPA
  • Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
    Ukrainians pass a damaged bridge as they flee from Irpin. AP
  • A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
    A man carries an elderly woman as people continue to leave Irpin. AP
  • A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
    A soldier stands on a barricade made of sandbags in central Odesa, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
    A charred Russian tank and captured tanks in the Sumy region. Reuters
  • People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
    People rest at a temporary shelter for Ukrainian refugees in Przemysl, Poland. AFP
  • Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
    Ukraine's ambassador to the Netherlands, Maksym Kononenko, third right, and his wife Tetiana Doroshenko, fourth left, attend a meeting of members of the Ukrainian community with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, third left, and Queen Maxima, second left, to discuss the situation in Ukraine, in The Hague. EPA
  • A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
    A Ukrainian soldier looks at the destruction after shelling in Ukraine's second-largest city of Kharkiv. AFP
  • A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
    A refugee holds her dog as they wait for trains to Poland in Lviv, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
    A woman ties ribbons in Ukrainian national flag colours in a girl's hair as people wait at a refugee assistance centre in Prague, Czech Republic. EPA
  • A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
    A Ukrainian soldier carries an elderly woman crossing the Irpin river on the outskirts of Kyiv. AP
  • Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Lena, who had never left Ukraine before fleeing into Moldova, feeds Dasha, 3, soon after crossing the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Refugees without immediate plans to move further inland can stay the night in tents set up on Moldova's side of the border. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Tatiana and her son wait for a van that will carry them from the Moldovan border to Chisinau. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
    Each night, the Palanca refugee camp in Moldova feeds up to 300 people who arrive with no onward plans. Erin Clare Brown for The National
  • People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
    People pass a damaged bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin, close to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. AP
  • A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
    A Ukrainian soldier stands guard next to a church in Irpin. EPA
  • A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
    A firefighter holds the baby of a Ukrainian refugee at the border in Romania. AP
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks in Kyiv. Reuters
  • A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
    A Ukrainian soldier at a checkpoint in Kyiv. AP
  • Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
    Ukrainian activist Ihor Mazur, left, a veteran of the war in the country's east, looks at a night-vision device in Kyiv. AP
  • Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
    Ambassadors attend a UN Security Council meeting on threats to international security after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in New York. Reuters
  • Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
    Ukraine's UN ambassador Sergey Kyslytsya holds a paper with an image of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he addresses the Security Council in New York. Reuters
  • A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
    A road sign put up in support of Mr Zelenskyy outside Russia's embassy in Washington. AFP
  • Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
    Ukrainian refugees at the train station in Lviv, western Ukraine. EPA
  • Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
    Lethal and non-lethal Ukrainian aid is loaded on to a plane bound for Poland by Canadian soldiers in Trenton, Ontario. Reuters
  • Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
    Volunteers carry medical aid and necessities at a train station in Lviv. EPA
  • Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
    Everton players wear T-shirts in support of Ukraine as they warm up for an English Premier League football match against Tottenham Hotspur. AP
  • A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
    A residential building damaged by Russian shelling in Chernihiv, Ukraine. Reuters
  • A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
    A man walks past a checkpoint in heavy snow in Lviv. Getty
  • A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
    A man fleeing fighting in Irpin waits to cross a river after Russian forces entered the city. Getty
  • Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
    Soldiers assist Irpin residents underneath a damaged bridge as they flee. Getty
  • Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
    Ukrainian civilians who volunteered to join the Territorial Defence Forces take part in a training exercise in Odesa after Russia's invasion. Reuters
  • Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
    Men carry a body to a lorry as people flee from the frontline town of Irpin. EPA
  • A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
    A Ukrainian police officer runs with a child as the sound of shelling echoes nearby in Irpin. AP
  • Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP
    Parents and children struggle to board a train in Lviv. AP
Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

Updated: March 10, 2022, 2:23 PM