Ukraine belongs to the EU family, European culture and civilization and will definitely be a member of the European Union, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.
“Ukraine belongs to the EU family and will be a member of the European Union. That’s for sure. After all that has happened, after the bombing and killing by Russia. The way they are coping. Ukraine’s future is in the EU. It will oblige us to change our procedural rules. It will change the size and diversity of Europe. Because if Ukraine becomes a member, many Balkan countries will want to do the same,” he said at the Munich Security Conference Sunday morning.
Borrell added that “the first homework assignment is to change the way we work.” At the same time, he stressed. that even before the war, Ukraine had numerous problems and the EU supported the country by investing in political and economic development.
The high representative of the European Union expressed confidence that Ukraine would cope with all the reforms quickly and the EU should support it. According to Borrell, the European Commission “has never before worked so fast.”
“Ukraine is a member of the EU, of the European family, of culture, of European civilization. It just has to be institutionalized. They have to do their homework, we have to help them. And we will prepare ourselves to take Ukraine to us,” Borrell said.
Fiji authorities have lifted all anti-covids requirements for visitors to the archipelago: it is no longer necessary to provide a certificate of vaccination and buy travel insurance with COVID 19 treatment coverage, FBC News reports.
“According to the country’s Ministry of Health, hospitalizations with COVID 19 are now very low thanks to immunization of the population. 100% of adults in Fiji have received one dose of the vaccine and 95% have received two doses. As in other countries with high vaccination rates, Fiji removes all anticovid restrictions for incoming travelers,” the publication writes.
According to the portal, border authorities will continue to monitor the condition of citizens in order to prevent the reintroduction of the coronavirus.
According to the country’s authorities, the recovery of Fiji’s economy after the pandemic coronavirus continues due to strong growth in tourism. For example, tourist arrivals to the archipelago last year totaled 636,300, a 71.1 percent increase over 2019 figures.
Mining companies in Ukraine in January this year, reduced the export of iron ore raw materials (iron ore) in physical terms by 75.9% compared to the same period last year – up to 927.433 thousand tons.
According to the statistics, released by the State Customs Service (SCS), during this period, foreign currency revenues from exports of iron ore decreased by 67% to $110.857 million.
Exports of iron ore products were mainly to Slovakia (28.65% of supplies in monetary terms), the Czech Republic (28.55%) and Austria (20.06%).
Last month Ukraine imported iron ore products for $1 thousand in the total amount of 2 tons, whereas in January-2021 there were imported also $1 thousand in the amount of 1 thousand tons. Imports in January-2023 were from Italy (100%).
As reported, in 2022, Ukraine reduced exports of iron ore products in physical terms by 45.9% compared to the previous year – up to 23 million 984.623 thousand tons, foreign exchange earnings decreased by 57.8% to $2 billion 912.974 million.
Exports of iron ore products was carried out mainly to Slovakia (19.23% in monetary terms), Czech Republic (17.32%) and Poland (16.49%).
Last year Ukraine imported iron ore to the amount of $65 thousand in total 101 tons, while in 2021 – $184 thousand in the amount of 1.202 tons.
Imports were carried out from Norway (36.92%), the Netherlands (27.69%) and the UK (16.92%).
Bali authorities in Indonesia want to restrict tourists’ access to the sacred Mount Batur due to their inappropriate behavior, which was complained about by religious leaders of the province, the Express newspaper reported.
“People should no longer be free to visit Bali’s sacred mountains, including Mount Batur. Many travelers go up there on motorcycles. I think this is too much,” the newspaper quoted Bali Governor Wayan Koster as saying.
According to him, religious leaders felt that the mountains should remain sacred and focused only on pilgrimage and religious rituals, so they recommend banning access for tourists there.
Balinese Hindus believe that any negative actions by tourists could damage the sacredness of the mountains.
Mount Batur is an active volcano and a popular tourist destination in Bali. It is one of the most sacred mountains on the island and is considered the home of the god Brahma.
It takes about two hours to climb Mount Batur and there are several restaurants and viewing platforms. After indecent visitors to the mountain, locals perform a ritual to cleanse the place of bad spirits every time.
PJSC “Ukrnafta” in 2023 plans to increase production of oil gas condensate by 6% compared to last year, the company’s director Sergiy Koretskyy said.
“We have set the task not just to keep the natural production decline, but to increase production already this year by 6%,” he wrote on his Facebook page, without specifying the expected volumes.
According to him, Ukrnafta plans to increase its drilling this year, an ambitious development strategy is being formulated, and goals for buying new licenses have been set.
Koretskyy noted that the company has passed compliance procedures of two state and one private bank, credit lines have already been opened for all three;
In addition, “Ukrnafta” is working on the return of multibillion hryvnia accounts receivable and expects that the optimization processes carried out in a short time will bring hundreds of millions of hryvnia savings in annual terms.
The budget for 2023 was formed with record targets for net profit, he said.
As reported, the Supreme Commanders of November 5, 2022 decided during martial law to withdraw to the state as the military property of the shares “Ukrnafta” (except for the controlling stake in NAK “Naftogaz of Ukraine”). Before the seizure, the structures of Ihor Kolomoyskyy and Hennadiy Boholyubov owned about 42% of Ukrnafta shares.
“Ukrnafta owns 85 special permits for production of hydrocarbons. On its balance sheet there are 1809 oil and 153 gas wells. The company owns 537 gasoline stations, of which 448 were operational at the beginning of February 2023. The rest were either damaged as a result of military operations or are located in the temporarily occupied territories.
IFAW International Fund for Animal Welfare signed a memorandum of cooperation with Save Pets of Ukraine
IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is one of the largest animal welfare charities in the world, founded in 1969. In addition to rescuing and protecting wild animals, IFAW is known for its work in helping dogs and cats. That is why the foundation chose Save Pets of Ukraine as its partner in Ukraine, an initiative founded by Kormotech, a Ukrainian manufacturer of cat and dog food. Save Pets of Ukraine provides food, vaccines, and medicines to shelters and pet volunteers who take care of stray animals.
As part of the cooperation, Save Pets of Ukraine and IFAW will deliver food to four-legged animals affected by the war. The first deliveries are planned to shelters in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Zhytomyr and Odesa regions.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Save Pets of Ukraine has provided more than 1 million kilograms of food and rescued about 250,000 pets across Ukraine. In January 2023, the initiative launched a pilot program of patronage for shelters. The project provides for treatment, vaccination, parasite treatment, sterilization, chipping, providing animals with passports, food, and other necessary items. The ultimate goal of the program is to place the animals in families. Currently, 57 animals from 4 shelters are under the patronage of the program. In the future, it is planned to expand the program to 50 shelters per year.
IFAW systematically helps animals in Ukraine suffering from the consequences of the full-scale invasion. During the first 6 months of the war, the Fund provided 63 grants totaling more than USD 1 million to organizations in Ukraine, which were aimed at helping more than 75,000 animals. In addition, with the assistance of IFAW, a program of free vaccination and chipping of 20 thousand animals was launched, as well as sterilization of 4 thousand animals in Kyiv, Lviv, Kharkiv and Odesa.
Also, thanks to the funding and support of the IFAW Foundation, 4 lion cubs and a small black panther affected by the war were rescued in Ukraine. First, the cubs were taken to Poland, and then the lion cubs went to the Wildcat Sanctuary in the United States, and the panther to the Wildlife Rescue Center in France.
IFAW
IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is a global non-profit organization that helps animals, brings together experts and ordinary people, and works in more than 40 countries. The Fund rescues, rehabilitates and releases animals, as well as restores and protects their natural habitats.
Kormotech
Kormotech is a global family-owned company with Ukrainian roots that has been producing high-quality pet food since 2003. The rations are developed by its own R&D center in cooperation with European and American consultants. The company has production facilities in Ukraine and the EU, and successfully exports products of its own brands Optimeal, CLUB 4 PAWS, Woof!, Meow! and its partners’ own brands to 33 countries. The product range includes more than 650 items. Kormotech is a leader in Ukraine and is among the TOP-10 most dynamic and TOP-51 most powerful pet industry producers in the world according to Petfood Industry.
Save Pets of Ukraine
Save Pets of Ukraine is an all-Ukrainian initiative to provide comprehensive assistance to four-legged animals during the war. It was founded by Kormotech, a Ukrainian manufacturer of food for cats and dogs. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the NGO Element of Life, as well as the U-Hearts charity foundation, a partner in attracting assistance from the global community.
Save Pets of Ukraine has united dozens of non-profit and business organizations and private donors in the United States, England, Europe and Ukraine.
Currently, the initiative provides food for shelters and pet volunteers, medicines for veterinarians, and provides comprehensive support to shelters for cats and dogs. During the 9 months of its operation, our initiative has already helped 250,000 pets across Ukraine.
