More than 34 thousand wage arrears were registered as of August 6, 2024, according to the Ministry of Justice. Almost 2 thousand companies turned out to be debtors. The largest number of such businesses is in Sumy region, and the smallest – in Chernivtsi region. Debts decreased at the beginning of the full-scale campaign, but this year more new proceedings have been opened than in the whole of 2023.
The largest number of proceedings on wage arrears was registered in 2021 – 6.3 thousand. After the start of the full-scale invasion, new proceedings decreased by 29%. Last year, their number began to grow: +6.6% per year. This year, companies have already owed their employees 7.1% more than in the whole of last year.
1,872 companies that owe salaries to employees. Most of these employers were found in Sumy region – 5.6 thousand proceedings or 16.4% of the total. Kyiv follows with 3.4 thousand wage arrears (9.8%). Dnipropetrovs’k region rounds out the top three – 2.2 thousand or 6.6%.
It is worth noting that in almost 3 thousand proceedings, the region is not identified.
Among the organizational and legal forms, the largest debtors are state-owned enterprises and joint-stock companies – more than 11 thousand and 9 thousand proceedings, or 33.8% and 28.8% of all debts, respectively. LLCs are in third place – 4.9 thousand or 14.2%. Subsidiaries and municipal enterprises account for 12.5% and 4.3% of all debts.
It is worth noting that various subsidiaries of Oblavtodor account for 9.7% of the total number of wage arrears: 3.3 thousand proceedings. Only the Sumy Machine-Building Research and Production Association owes its employees more money – 4,071 proceedings or 11.8% of the total.
The most persistent debtors among Ukrainian companies are:
– Sumy Machine-Building Research and Production Association – 4,071 proceedings
– Poltava Oblavtodor – 1079 proceedings
– Nizhyn Engineering Armament Repair Plant – 1038 proceedings
– Sumy Machine-Building Research and Production Association – engineering – 892 proceedings
– Energostal – 876 proceedings
– Zaporizhtsivilproekt – 610 proceedings
– Rivne Automobile Repair Plant – 508 proceedings
NASA astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are forced to remain on the International Space Station (ISS) due to a malfunctioning Boeing Starliner spacecraft, will be able to return to Earth in early 2025 using a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, CNN reported.
This news comes after the space agency conducted a formal review to determine if Starliner could be safe enough to return home with its crew, or if the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft would have to step in to save the day.
The Starliner spacecraft that carried astronauts Sunny Williams and Butch Wilmore to the space station in early June failed because of helium leaks and engines that suddenly stopped working early in its first test flight with the crew. Engineers spent weeks trying to better understand the problems. For its part, Boeing said as recently as Aug. 2 that its “confidence remains high” that the spacecraft will be able to return astronauts to Earth.
But NASA said during an Aug. 7 briefing that discussions at the space agency about the safety of the Starliner capsule are evolving, prompting the federal agency to more seriously consider sending astronauts home on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, which has flown about a dozen crewed missions into space since 2020.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would be desirable for the second peace summit to be held in one of the countries of the global south and said he had proposed to Prime Minister Narenda Modi that the summit be held in India.
“I do believe that the second world summit should be in one of the countries, preferably in the global south. And we are very open… I absolutely support and have said and shared this with Prime Minister Modi to hold a global peace summit in India,” Zelensky said in an interview with Indian media published on Sunday.
However, the president added that Ukraine could not “hold a peace summit in a country that has not yet joined the communiqué of the peace summit”, but this does not apply only to India, but to any state that was positive about the adoption of the second summit.
“I think you understand that. No one is pressuring anyone, but it is logical,” the Ukrainian head of state said.
The President recalled that the points in the communiqué adopted at the first peace summit concern energy, food security, as well as the return of Ukrainian children, and none of the points concern weapons.
Zelensky added that Ukraine will be happy if India joins the clause of the Peace Formula that deals with the return of children.
“So I think India can choose any of these points, join any of these points with a theme and can come with its vision, with its additional views and so on,” the president emphasized.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to visit India “on a mutually convenient occasion,” the relevant 32nd paragraph concludes the joint statement of Ukraine and India following the prime minister’s visit to Kiev.
“It is quite natural that on such occasions he (Modi) extends an invitation, which he did in this case. So we expect that the moment it suits him, President Zelensky will visit India,” Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar commented on the invitation at a press briefing in Kiev on Friday.
As reported, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Friday. This is the first visit of an Indian prime minister to Ukraine since the latter gained independence in 1991.
Total allocated reinsurance capital grew 7% in 2023, to $568 billion, and is forecast to grow even more to $625 billion for 2024, according to the Reinsurance News website, citing a report from credit rating agency AM Best.
According to the report, traditional reinsurance capital increased 14% year-on-year in 2023, by about $57bn to $468bn.
According to AM Best, apart from Berkshire Hathaway National Indemnity, the most significant capital growth came from Bermuda, thanks to strong operating profits reported by various Bermudian companies.
AM Best forecasts for 2024 traditional reinsurance capital growth of 10% to $515 billion, while third party capital is expected to be between $105 billion and $110 billion.
Thus, total allocated reinsurance capital at the end of 2024 is estimated at $620 billion to $625 billion, and AM Best analysts expect this market to continue to thrive through 2024.
Moldovan authorities plan to complete a feasibility study by the end of 2024 on the construction of the country’s first multimodal logistics complex at the Beresti railway station in Ungheni (5 km from the border with Romania), the Moldovan Ministry of Economy said. The project is being implemented with technical support from USAID under the Institutional and Structural Reforms in Moldova program. Once the feasibility study is finalized, a tender to find an investor will be announced.
“The ambitious project includes rail and road access roads, container cranes, loading and unloading platforms, warehouses, and a fleet of trucks. It is estimated that the infrastructure will be able to handle up to 200,000 trucks annually, with cargo transshipment of about 4 million tons. Beresti terminal will become a regional logistics hub, integrating Moldova into the global transportation and logistics network,” the report says.
Currently, the main carriers from the East and West prefer to choose routes bypassing Moldova due to the lack of logistics infrastructure.
Beresti railway station is located 106 km from Chisinau, outside the city of Ungheni on the northern side, on the railway corridor that goes to the city of Balti and continues further to the border with Ukraine. The strategic location of the station is due to the proximity of the Romanian/EU border (5 km), as well as the connection to numerous industrial facilities and transportation routes.
The Beresti terminal site covers an area of 80 hectares, is owned by the state and managed by the State Enterprise “Railways of Moldova”. The site’s railroad tracks allow the use of both wide gauge (1520 mm) and European gauge (1435 mm).
According to Moldovan media, investments in the project are estimated at 30 million euros, the construction of the facility will take 24-30 months.
