The National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine (NALU) supports the European Parliament’s initiatives to establish a minimum age for access to social networks, video platforms, and digital AI services, as well as to ban the most harmful and addictive digital practices targeting minors.
“NALU fully supports this initiative of the European Parliament and considers it an important step towards creating a safe, ethical, and responsible digital environment,” said a statement from the NALU board, as reported by the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
NALU notes that the European recommendations provide, in particular, for setting the minimum age for access to social networks at 16, allowing children aged 13-16 to access social networks only with parental consent, banning the most harmful elements of digital design, including autoplay, infinite scroll, dark patterns, intrusive recommendation algorithms, a ban on targeted advertising and influencer marketing aimed at minors, as well as increased responsibility of digital platforms for the protection of children, including the personal responsibility of company executives and the implementation of technologies in them.
“In the context of Ukraine’s European integration and the adaptation of national regulations to EU standards, NALU officially supports the European Parliament’s proposals to reform digital safety rules for children. Ukrainian lobbyists in Brussels are already beginning consultations with European institutions to agree on approaches that can be implemented in Ukraine,” the statement said.
It is noted that the association will recommend that the Verkhovna Rada and relevant committees consider the possibility of adapting the proposed European standards to national legislation.
“NALU is ready to provide expert, analytical, and regulatory and methodological support to Ukrainian authorities in developing relevant legislative changes. The association believes that the protection of minors online is a matter of national security, digital health of society, and the state’s responsibility to the younger generation,” the document notes.
The association emphasized that NALU will continue to work on the adoption of transparent and European standards in the field of digital policy and advocacy, contributing to the formation of modern legislation that will protect children and support the development of an ethical digital space in Ukraine.
On November 26, 2025, the European Parliament adopted a report calling for the introduction of a unified minimum age of 16 in the European Union for access to social networks, video platforms, and digital AI services, as well as a ban on the most harmful and addictive digital practices targeting minors.
PJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC Titanium) planted 108,000 seedlings and completed the annual cycle of reclamation of the depleted site of its subsidiary, Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IMPP, Zhytomyr region).
According to information from the company on Wednesday, the final step in this process was the biological stage with the mechanical planting of trees on areas of 29 hectares and 0.47 hectares near the village of Huta-Dobryn (Irshansk Village Council, Zhytomyr Region), where about 108,000 mixed tree seedlings were planted.
It is noted that before planting the forest, the company’s specialists carried out a complex of preparatory work: they treated the soil, applied mineral fertilizers, and prepared the area for planting tree species.
“Reclamation of disturbed land is an important element of responsible mining. For Polissya, where significant reserves of titanium ore are concentrated, this is of particular ecological importance,” the press release states.
It is specified that the forestry approach to restoration makes it possible to work effectively in areas with altered terrain, increase the forest fund, and create the conditions for the return of natural ecosystems. Over time, the new plantings will form a stable vegetation cover and contribute to the revival of local flora and fauna.
“UMCC Titanium, in cooperation with strategic investor NEQSOL Holding, will continue to adhere to the principles of sustainable development, combining efficient production with a responsible attitude towards the environment,” the company’s statement concludes.
As reported, NEQSOL Holding’s subsidiary Cemin Ukraine LLC acquired OGHK at auction on October 9, 2024, for UAH 3 billion 938 million 351.58.
NEQSOL Holding is an international group of companies with over 12,000 employees operating in 11 countries. In Ukraine, it owns the second largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, VF Ukraine (TM Vodafone Ukraine). The founder and owner of NEQSOL Holding is Azerbaijani citizen Nasib Hasanov.
OGHK began its actual operations in August 2014, when the Ukrainian government decided to transfer the property complexes of the Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (VGMK, Dnipropetrovsk region) and the Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IGZK, Zhytomyr region). Previously, these plants were leased to Dmitry Firtash’s structures.
Ukraine won the medal count at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics, which ended in Tokyo, according to a report on Wednesday by Suspilne. Sport.
After 12 days of competition, the Ukrainian team won a record 100 medals, 32 of them gold, 39 silver, and 29 bronze. Ukrainians competed for awards in 13 sports.
According to the report, this result is Ukraine’s second-best achievement in the history of its participation in the Deaflympics, after 138 medals in 2021.
The United States came in second with 52 medals, including 32 gold, 12 silver, and 8 bronze.
In third place is the host country, Japan, with 36 medals, including 17 gold, 7 silver, and 12 bronze.
Apple Inc. will surpass South Korea’s Samsung Electronics in global smartphone shipments in 2025 for the first time in 14 years, according to experts at Counterpoint Research.
According to the company’s forecast, iPhone shipments to the global market will reach 243 million units this year, while Samsung smartphone shipments will total around 235 million units.
Apple’s share of the global smartphone market at the end of the year is expected to be 19.4%, while Samsung’s will be 18.7%.
The optimistic forecasts for Apple are linked to the success of the iPhone 17 line, which the company unveiled in September. Counterpoint calls sales of this line of devices during the current holiday season “outstanding.”
Sales of iPhone 17 smartphones in the first four weeks after their launch were 12% higher than the previous iPhone 16 line, Counterpoint notes. In China, a key market for Apple, sales of these devices during the same period exceeded the previous line’s results by 18%.
Meanwhile, Samsung is facing difficulties due to growing competition from Chinese manufacturers in the budget and mid-range price segments, which is limiting the South Korean company’s sales.
Counterpoint analysts expect Apple to maintain its sales leadership in the global smartphone market until the end of 2029.
The forum “Grain and Processing 2025: Flour, Groceries, Mixed Feed” was held in Lviv over several days, combining practice, analytics, and lively discussions about the future of Ukrainian grain processing, writes SEEDS.
More than 100 representatives of grain processing, baking, and compound feed enterprises, analysts, representatives of technology companies, and industry experts—those who shape the industry’s agenda—came to Lviv for this key industry event.
The forum was organized by the Ukrainian Flour Millers Association and Agro Marketing Agency.
During the forum, Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, presented the key indicators and trends for the new agricultural season. According to preliminary estimates, the wheat harvest in 2025 will be 23 million tons, while domestic consumption will remain at around 6 million tons. The sowing campaign is ongoing, and the area under winter wheat is expected to increase by 7–10%, which creates the conditions for stable production in 2026.
At the same time, Vysotsky noted the difficult situation on the rye market: cultivation volumes are minimal, and the ministry, together with relevant associations, is preparing mechanisms to stimulate the expansion of sowing areas starting next season.
As part of the forum, Rodion Rybchinsky, Director of the Public Union “Flour Millers of Ukraine,” presented an online course for agribusiness, “Post-harvest processing and storage of grain,” from AgriAcademy, a free online platform for agricultural education and certified online courses from leading Ukrainian and international experts.
The new AgriAcademy course is dedicated to the basics of organizing and conducting grain reception, post-harvest processing, and storage. It is designed for those interested in improving their qualifications and mastering modern and innovative techniques and technologies for improving grain readiness for storage, control, and quality improvement.
AgriAcademy.org is a free online learning platform for agricultural workers and students of agricultural education institutions, launched by the EBRD in December 2022 as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
In addition to the presentation of the course during the forum, all participants received promotional materials with the AgriAcademy QR code. By following the link, everyone can choose the online course they want and register for it.
After the war began, thousands of agricultural workers lost access to structured forms of training. AgriAcademy has become the answer to this problem – a platform that provides:
Go to training: https://agriacademy.org/courses-catalog/
AgriAcademy is a free online training platform created on the initiative of the EBRD as part of its food security support program in Ukraine. Its goal is to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainable development of agriculture, which has suffered significant losses due to the war.
The platform’s creation and management (including course development, training tours, etc.) is supported and funded by the EBRD, as well as:
In October 2025, Oschadbank increased its portfolio of loans to legal entities by UAH 4.2 billion, which, according to its data, is the largest increase among Ukrainian banks, according to a release on the financial institution’s website.
Oschadbank noted that the total volume of its loan portfolio to legal entities as of October 1 this year amounted to UAH 99 billion, of which UAH 30 billion were loans to micro, small, and medium-sized businesses, with the remainder going to corporate businesses.
As noted in the release with reference to the National Bank’s data, Oschadbank’s net portfolio at the beginning of October accounted for 13.6% of the corporate lending market, securing its leading position.
“During the full-scale invasion, Oschadbank has been directing its free liquidity to support the real sector of the economy, and during this period, the corporate business loan portfolio has grown more than one and a half times, or by UAH 23.5 billion, with this segment accounting for 70% of the corporate portfolio,” said Yuriy Katsion, deputy chairman of the bank’s board, who is responsible for this area, in a press release.
As reported, in October 2025, the corporate segment’s loan portfolio grew by 2.6%, or UAH 26.9 billion, to UAH 970.1 billion. Hryvnia loans to businesses added 1.7%, or UAH 11.5 billion, reaching UAH 689.7 billion, while foreign currency loans increased by 4.2%, or $267 million, to $6.68 billion.
According to the NBU, at the beginning of October this year, Oschadbank, with total assets of UAH 485.69 billion (12.3% of the total), was second among 60 banks in terms of this indicator.
