Ukraine is finalizing a scheme with global insurers for insurance coverage of grain ships, Ukraine’s deputy economy minister Oleksandr Hryban has told the Financial Times
Ukraine is finalizing the development of a scheme with global insurers for insurance coverage of grain ships traveling to/from Black Sea ports, Ukrainian Deputy Economy Minister Oleksandr Griban told the Financial Times.
According to him, the agreement “is being developed and actively discussed” between the relevant ministries, as well as domestic banks and international insurance groups, including Lloyd’s of London.
The scheme could be in place as early as next month, with five of the 30 ships passing through “dangerous locations” in Ukrainian waters.
Russia reportedly pulled out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July and said it would treat any civilian vessel leaving Ukrainian ports as a military target.
However, under the cover of Ukrainian coastal defense systems, the Joseph Schulte dry cargo ship left the port of Odessa on August 16 and used a temporary corridor in the Black Sea. On August 18, it arrived at the coast of Turkey and anchored in the port of “Ambarly” near Istanbul. The container ship Joseph Schulte was in the port of Odessa since February 23, 2022. On its board there were 2000 containers and 30 thousand tons of cargo, in particular food.
Earlier, Ukraine announced the creation of a “humanitarian corridor” in the Black Sea to free cargo ships trapped in its ports after Russia’s withdrawal from the “grain agreement”.
Spouse of the President Olena Zelenska said that Ukraine proposes the creation of a program of international medical partnership, thanks to which any country will be able to establish interaction with a particular Ukrainian hospital, the press service of the head of state.
“Ukraine proposes the creation of an international medical partnership program. This is a program that we initiate within the framework of the Third Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen and implement in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine,” she said during a visit to the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology (Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology) in Utrecht (Netherlands).
According to her, each interested country will be able to establish direct interaction with a specific hospital in Ukraine by selecting the appropriate institution from its side. And the governments of the countries will accompany and guide this cooperation.
During the visit, a Memorandum of Cooperation was also signed between the management of the Princess Maxima Children’s Oncology Center, Dr. Gita Galle, and Acting Chief Physician of the West Ukrainian Specialized Children’s Medical Center, Roman Kizima, with the support of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
Zelenska noted that this cooperation will be the first practical example of interaction within the framework of international medical partnership, which Ukraine is starting.
According to the press service of the President, the first meeting of the heads of health ministries of the countries of the world under the patronage of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen will be held in September.
In addition, Zelenska met with the management of Royal Philips, a company specializing in the production of medical equipment (patient monitors, ultrasound, X-ray, CT, MRI, etc.), healthcare solutions, equipment for personal care.
The First Lady noted that the Center actively attracts doctors from Ukraine for internships, so that doctors have the opportunity to work with colleagues from the Netherlands and share experience.
South Korea and the United States began major joint military drills on Monday to bolster military readiness amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s missile tests and tougher rhetoric toward allies, Renhap news agency reported.
The annual Ulchi Freedom Shield (UFS) exercise, “based on a total war scenario,” will include “contingency” drills, computer simulation-based command post drills, parallel field exercises and civil defense drills. They will continue until August 31.
According to a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the South Korean Armed Forces, about 30 joint allied field training exercises are planned during the exercise period.
He stressed that the exercise is “designed as a tough and realistic training to strengthen the alliance’s joint defense posture and response capabilities based on scenarios reflecting various security threats.”
In addition to South Korean and U.S. participants, personnel from nine member countries of the United Nations Command (UNC), (a joint multinational military command established in 1950 to support South Korea): Australia, Canada, France, Britain, Greece, Italy, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand, will join the exercise, Renhap reported.
The agency noted that the South Korean military is stepping up its preparedness for possible military action by Pyongyang during the drills, as the DPRK has consistently called the U.S.-South Korean exercises a rehearsal for an invasion of North Korea.
South Korean intelligence agencies told parliamentarians last week that “the North is preparing various provocations during the joint drills, such as launching an intercontinental ballistic missile,” according to the report.
The agency said the CTAC report that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un inspected the 2nd Guards Division of surface ships of the Korean People’s Army Navy’s Eastern Fleet Eastern Fleet and observed missile launches was “a clear expression of protest against the drills.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on people to check facts before sharing content on the Internet, thus preventing the spread of fakes.
“We all have a role to play in stopping the spread of harmful falsehoods and misinformation. Stop and check facts before sharing content online,” he wrote on microblogging Twitter.
He also added a number of questions to think about before sharing content online, namely “Who is the author of the content?”, “What is the source of the information?”, “Where did the information come from?”, “Why are you sharing it?” and “Where was it published?”.
Ukraine’s real gross domestic product (GDP) growth by the same period last year slowed to 8% in July from 15% in June, primarily due to a high statistical base as the rate of GDP decline slowed significantly in the third quarter of last year, according to the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER).
“Economic activity is not yet close to pre-war levels: we estimate that GDP has fallen by 25% compared to July 2021,” the IEI said in its monthly economic monitor.
The institute estimated the increase in real gross value added (GVA) in July in the processing industry at more than 20% due to the recovery of all industries from a low base, while the extractive industry saw a small increase.
According to the IEI experts, agriculture grew by almost 5% in July, primarily due to the lower statistical base of July 2022. The grain harvest was close to last year’s due to higher yields.
“The growth rate of real GVA in transportation slowed to 9% y/y, while GVA in trade continued to grow rapidly, by about 27% y/y,” the report said.
As reported, the State Statistics Committee has not yet published its assessment of the dynamics of GDP of Ukraine in the second quarter, while at the end of the first quarter it reported a 10.5% decline in the economy.
Earlier, the IEI estimated Ukraine’s GDP growth in the second quarter of this year at about 20-21%: almost 22% in April, 20.9% in May and 15.3% in June.
According to the National Bank, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 18.3% in the second quarter. The NBU forecasts that the economic recovery will slow to 4.6% in the third quarter of 2023 and 1.8% in the fourth quarter, which would translate into year-on-year growth of 2.9%.
Restrictions have been imposed on the movement of trucks in Kyiv and at the entrance to the city, the Kyiv Patrol Police press service reported on Telegram on Sunday morning.
“The temporary traffic restriction applies to heavy vehicles with a total weight of more than 24 tons and an axle load of more than 7 tons and applies to both entry to Kyiv and movement around the city,” the statement said.
The police emphasized that the duration of the restriction may vary according to the temperature regime and urged to follow the latest information on their Telegram channel.
“We remind you that the main purpose of these measures is to preserve the road surface, which is being destroyed by heavy traffic of heavy vehicles in hot weather,” the special service said.
