Chinese authorities last Saturday began construction of a giant hydropower plant on the Tibetan Plateau on the Yarlung Tsangpo River, Western media reported. The Yarlung Tsangpo River, one of South Asia’s largest waterways, also flows through India and Bangladesh and joins the Ganges River. It is called the Brahmaputra in India and the Jamuna in Bangladesh.
Li Qiang, Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, attended the project’s launching ceremony. The electricity generated by the hydropower plant is planned to be supplied outside the region; it should also meet local needs.
According to the calculations of the construction company Power China, the hydropower plant will be able to produce 300 billion kWh of electricity annually. The cost of the hydroelectric structure is estimated at $167.1 billion.
The media note that upon completion of construction, this facility may surpass the Three Gorges Dam Hydroelectric Power Plant on the Yangtze River in Hubei Province – the largest power plant in the world.
In January, Indian authorities said they had raised concerns with China about the project and urged Beijing to ensure there was no harm to people living downriver. New Delhi promised to protect Indian national interests. For its part, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said the hydropower plant would not adversely affect downstream regions. The ministry added that it would keep in touch with the countries through which the Yarlung Tsangpo also flows.
Last week, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) increased its sales of foreign currency on the interbank market by $228.1 million, or 33.6%, to $906.6 million, according to statistics on the regulator’s website.
According to the statistics, this is the largest volume of currency sales since mid-February 2025, when the regulator sold a record $1191.30 million since the beginning of the year.
The data that the NBU has published during this time show that last week the balance of foreign exchange interventions was negative almost every day, except for Monday, when it amounted to $1.38 million. Already on Tuesday, the negative balance was recorded at $11.5 million, on Wednesday – $14.5 million, and on Thursday – $6.8 million.
The official hryvnia exchange rate against the dollar strengthened from 41.7842 UAH/$1 at the beginning of the week to 41.7514 UAH/$1 at the end.
On the cash market, the hryvnia strengthened by 5 kopecks over the week: buying to about 41.61 UAH/$1, and selling to about 41.70 UAH/$1.
“In July, the dollar to hryvnia exchange rate continued to demonstrate stability with a slight correction in a narrow range,” said experts from KYT Group, a major participant in the cash foreign exchange market .
In their opinion, in the short term (two to four weeks), the corridor of UAH 41.40-42.10/$ will remain in place in the absence of external shocks or surges in demand from importers.
KYT Group analysts predict that in the medium term (two to four months), the hryvnia exchange rate may gradually depreciate to 42.20-42.80 UAH/$ in the event of increased domestic budget spending, seasonal demand for the currency, or increased devaluation expectations among households and businesses.
In the long term (more than six months), experts do not expect a reduction in external financial support, so the most likely scenario is a gradual controlled devaluation of the hryvnia to 43.00-44.50 UAH/$. At the same time, the NBU’s exchange rate policy and the government’s signals on the macroeconomic course for 2026 may remain important deterrents.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1089251.html
Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko on Sunday announced a one-year moratorium on inspections and limitation of tax and customs inspections.
“The government together with law enforcement agencies and under the coordination of the National Security and Defense Council is preparing a solution that will give business more freedom. A one-year moratorium on inspections is planned. This issue has already been discussed with President Vladimir Zelensky – his instruction is clear: to give more freedom to internal economic forces. This also means continuing the detenization of the economy, ensuring a level playing field that benefits white businesses,” she wrote on Facebook.
They have also started auditing criminal cases against businesses, she said. The priority is to close baseless proceedings that block business activity. New cases will be authorized only by the Prosecutor General or heads of regional and district level.
In addition, tax and customs inspections will be limited in parallel. Control over the legality of investigative actions will also be strengthened. Inspections will only be in high-risk sectors, and bona fide businesses will receive protection. “We are ready to initiate changes to the laws for better protection of businesses, reform of supervision and fair use of confiscated assets of the Russian Federation,” Sviridenko said.
The prime minister added that grants for the production of ammunition and explosives are also scheduled to be launched next week. “This is support for the defense industry and localization of critical production facilities. The details are already after the decision of the Government. The project is coordinated by Mikhail Fedorov and Denis Shmygal,” Sviridenko writes
annual moratorium, business inspections, PRIME MINISTER, СВИРИДЕНКО
Alexander Usyk won the title of undisputed world champion by defeating Daniel Dubois by knockout in the fifth round of the fight.
The fight was for the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO undisputed heavyweight world titles. It was a rematch: the boxers first met in the ring in August 2023, when Usyk knocked out Dubois in the ninth round. Usyk regained the IBF title, which he had been forced to relinquish because he was unable to defend it at the time, and defended his titles in the other three divisions.
The European Union has published a list of individuals and legal entities included in the 18th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which includes 22 Russian and two Chinese banks, four companies linked to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, 26 new entities linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and eight companies from the Belarusian military-industrial complex.
The sanctions list was published on Saturday, July 19, in the Official Journal.
Thus, 22 Russian banks were hit by sanctions:
T-Bank, Bank Saint Petersburg, Centrocredit Bank, Yandex Bank, Surgutneftegazbank, Metkombank, Severgazbank, Genbank, Bystrobank, Energotransbank, Tatsozbank, Zenit Bank, Transstroybank, Finam Bank, Ozon Bank, Expobank, Lokko Bank, Dom.RF Bank, MSP Bank, Lanta Bank, Bank 131, and RostFinans Bank.
Two Chinese banks were sanctioned by the EU for the first time for providing cryptocurrency services: Heihe Rural Commercial Bank and Heilongjiang Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank.
Eight companies from Belarus’ military-industrial complex were also added to the sanctions list: Belvneshpromservis, OKB TSP, KB Bespilotnye Vertochnye, Legmash plant, BelOMO’s LEMT scientific and technical center, Laser Devices and Technologies LLC, Vistan, and Rukhservomotor.
Fourteen individuals and 41 organizations responsible for actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine have been added to the sanctions list. This brings the total number of individuals and entities included in the sanctions list to over 2,500.
According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, this package is “one of the toughest to date.” “Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war. The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will continue to increase pressure until Russia ends the war,” she stressed.
As reported, the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) approved the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia on the morning of July 18.
On July 17, JSC “Oschadbank” opened the bidders’ offers for voluntary medical insurance of employees. As reported in the system of electronic public procurement Prozorro, the offer of the only bidder – IC “VUSO” – amounted to 134.285 million UAH. The expected cost of purchasing services is UAH 134.3 mln.
As it was informed, the winner of the similar tender a year ago was also IC “VUSO” with the price offer of UAH 114,2 mln against the expected cost of UAH 114,8 mln.
IC “VUSO” was founded in 2001. It is a member of MTSBU and NASU, a participant of the agreement on direct settlement of losses and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool.
