Ukraine and Norway are establishing their first joint production facility for Ukrainian drones. Several thousand mid-strike drones are planned to be manufactured in Norway, with the first deliveries expected by summer, according to the Ministry of Defense’s website.
The agreement was signed in Kyiv by Norway’s Ambassador to Ukraine Lars Ragnar Aalered Hansen and Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defense for European Integration Serhiy Boev.
The agreement also provides for the development of comprehensive industrial cooperation, including research.
The project will be funded by the Norwegian side. In total, Norway plans to allocate over $1.5 billion this year to purchase Ukrainian-made weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The first systems manufactured in Norway are expected to be delivered to Ukraine as early as this summer.
“Norway gains the opportunity to produce technologies that have proven their effectiveness, while Ukraine receives the drones necessary to seize the initiative on the front lines. This is a true win-win partnership,” noted Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
In turn, Tore Onshuus Sandvik emphasized that “supporting Ukraine’s fight is the most important thing we are doing for Norway’s security. This is a collaboration that benefits both countries.”
According to him, the experience gained through this project will allow Norway to expand its production capabilities in a critically important area.
The Ministry of Defense notes that mutually beneficial technological and industrial cooperation with partners is one of Ukraine’s top priorities.
The amount real estate agents earn per transaction in the world’s largest cities varies by nearly four times, even though property prices remain relatively high. This is according to a study by the global real estate agent network AgentWise.
According to the study, Paris ranks first in terms of an agent’s earnings per transaction: with an average property price of approximately £669,950 and a 5.5% commission, the average real estate agent’s earnings amount to £36,847. Next are New York with £25,824, Singapore with £22,515, Berlin with £18,618, and Madrid with £15,692 per transaction.
London is at the other end of the spectrum. Despite having one of the most expensive housing markets in the world, the average agent commission there is only 1.7%, which amounts to approximately £9,963 in income per transaction, with an average home price of £586,050. Figures are slightly higher in Dubai—£9,993—while in Toronto, the average income for a realtor from a sale is estimated at £10,018.
The study shows that an agent’s income level depends not so much on the price of the property itself as on local regulations, market structure, and the intensity of competition among agencies. In the most competitive markets, such as London and Dubai, agents have to work with minimal margins even when property prices are high.
Six Ukrainian economic forecasters and analytical teams have been included in the international Best Economic Forecast Awards ranking, published annually by FocusEconomics, based on results for 2025.
Among the Ukrainian participants in the ranking are Dmytro Taranenko and Olena Belan from Dragon Capital, Oleksiy Blinov from Forbes Ukraine and Blinov Forecasting, Vitaliy Kravchuk and Oleksandra Betliy from the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting (IER), Hryhoriy Kukuruza from Ukraine Economic Outlook, and the ICU analytical team.
The FocusEconomics ranking covers more than 100 countries worldwide, and for Ukraine, it takes into account forecasts from 32 analytical teams at international banks, research centers, and rating agencies. The winners in each category are the participants whose forecasts proved to be the most accurate.
In the overall ranking for Ukraine, S&P Global Market Intelligence took first place, Dragon Capital second, and Alexey Blinov third. In the GDP forecasting category, Dmitry Taranenko and Elena Belan also took second place, while Vitaly Kravchuk and Alexandra Betliy took third.
In the inflation forecasting category, Taranenko and Belan took first place among analysts in Ukraine, Blinov took second, and S&P Global Market Intelligence took third. In the category of policy rate forecasting, first place went to Alexey Blinov. In the state budget balance forecast category, second place went to the ICU team, while in the balance of payments forecast category, first place went to Grigory Kukuruza, and third place again to Alexey Blinov.
In the exchange rate forecasting category, only foreign analytical centers were among the leaders. This shows that Ukrainian experts are particularly strong in assessing domestic macroeconomic indicators, while international players currently hold the leading positions in currency forecasts.
On April 20, PJSC Ukrgazvydobuvannya (Kyiv) announced its intention to enter into an agreement with Guardian Insurance Company for risk insurance services related to the commercial development of oil and gas fields. According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the expected cost of the services was 548,800 UAH, and the company’s bid was 501,499 UAH.
The insurance company “VUSO” also participated in the tender with a bid that was 1 hryvnia higher.
GAS, Guardian, INSURANCE, INSURANCE COMPANY, OIL, RISK, UKRGAZVYDOBUVANNYA
Ora Developers, an Egyptian real estate company linked to billionaire Naguib Sawiris, is expanding its Bayn project—a new mixed-use city in the Gantut area between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. According to The Economic Times, the company has increased its investment in the UAE from $15 billion to $30 billion.
According to the publication, the Bayn project is being developed as a full-fledged “city of the future.” Following the acquisition of an additional 4.8 million square meters of land, Ora Developers’ total land bank in the UAE has grown to 9.6 million square meters. The project itself is designed to accommodate approximately 16,000 residential units.
Bayn will include business parks, schools, hospitals, shopping centers, offices, and hotels—in other words, it is not just a residential complex but the creation of a self-contained urban environment. The key idea behind the project is to create a community whose residents will be able to live between the two largest business centers of the Emirates and work in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The project’s expansion comes amid sustained interest in the UAE real estate market, despite geopolitical tensions in the region. Through private capital, Egypt is effectively strengthening its presence in one of the Middle East’s largest real estate markets. The Bayn project demonstrates that the focus is not on isolated development, but on the large-scale creation of a new urban cluster between Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The vacation rental market in neighboring Bulgaria may see a significant increase in housing prices—by approximately 25–30%. According to the Novinite website, the reason cited is the entry into force on May 20, 2026, of new European regulations for short-term rentals, which could result in up to half of the listings on major online platforms being removed due to non-compliance.
According to market participants, the main effect will be linked not to a surge in demand but to a reduction in supply. If some small-scale landlords exit the market due to new administrative requirements and rising costs, the number of legally available apartments in popular resorts will decrease, which will drive prices up. At the same time, representatives of the hotel sector believe that the market will become more transparent, and consumers will be better protected from informal and misleading offers.
Based on available market indicators, in 2025, renting resort accommodation in Bulgaria remained relatively affordable by EU standards. As of April 2026, average rental rates in resort areas ranged from approximately 5 to 11 euros per square meter per month, depending on location and type of accommodation. This means that a 35–40-square-meter studio typically cost around 175–440 euros per month, while a 55–70-square-meter apartment cost approximately 275–770 euros per month.
