INFLUENCE TALKS FORUM, a forum of top influencers, will be held at Stereo Plaza. To ensure that the conference is of high quality and useful, the project creators decided to postpone the event and take more time for thorough preparation. So, on March 10, everyone will be able to meet with top influencers, hear interesting success stories, and make new acquaintances. The event will be organized by Kristina Golovinova and Karina Tsyganok, who have repeatedly gathered speakers to talk about the digital world.
The organizers of the INFLUENCE TALKS FORUM were the first to popularize Ukrainian bloggers, experts, and the digital sphere in general during the full-scale invasion. They have already organized more than one successful forum that brought together ambitious and motivated professionals.
Influence Talks Forum aims to take the Ukrainian market to a new level. This is the first event of this scale in Ukraine, which will bring together 2000 people to learn from the experience of the top influencers of our country. Today, influencers have more influence and an important mission than ever before, as they motivate the development of the country and popularize the Ukrainian digital sphere by their example.
“We understand that the digital sphere is a large segment that will create jobs for young people, inspire them to stay in Ukraine and try their hand at it. That’s why we are creating a forum so that people can learn from the speakers’ experience and get inspired,” say the organizers of Influence Talks Forum.
The event will also be held to support fundraising for the hospital. The Charitable Foundation for Reconstruction and Development of Ukraine is a regular partner of the event.
The media partners are the Experts Club think tank and the Open4business portal.
Skylum, a Ukrainian developer of AI-based photo editors with an audience of more than 1 million users worldwide, has introduced an application for tablets for the first time. In particular, Luminar for iPad offers comprehensive photo editing capabilities – from basic settings and filters to AI functions. In addition, the program has an innovative and playful design with interactive controls, providing users with a brand new mobile editing experience.
As with the development of any photo editing software, Skylum has made Luminar for iPad feature-rich and intuitive to use for photographers of all levels.
Key features of the program:
Development tools, i.e., basic settings for color correction, including exposure, temperature, hue, contrast, highlights, shadows, white and black, saturation, brightness, and vignetting.
Basic tools include details, curves, crop, erase, landscape (including background removal), and monochrome mode.
AI-based tools such as Enhance AI (automatic photo enhancement), Sky AI (sky replacement), Structure AI (detail and texture enhancement), and Relight AI (lighting and contrast balancing).
A collection of filters that not only provides reliable color correction, but also pays tribute to the nostalgia of film cameras, beloved by many in the world of photography.
Three editing modes that allow users to easily switch between Development, Filters, and Sky modes, depending on their own editing preferences and desired results.
Apple Pencil support, which includes integration with the Apple Pencil for more precise editing and better control of settings.
According to Skylum, the main goal of Luminar for iPad is to completely redefine mobile photo editing by making it more interactive and entertaining for the user. For example, while browsing through the LUT collection in search of the perfect filter for their photo, users of the app will hear the nostalgic click of a film changer. This element, designed with a love of analog photography, will add a playful dimension to the processing process.
“By leveraging the iPad platform and our cutting-edge technology, we are bringing to market an app that delivers both the fun editing experience and the professional-grade results that Luminar is known for,” said Skylum CEO Ivan Kutanin.
Luminar for iPad is already available for download on the website. In addition, the program is available for visionOS, and owners of Apple Vision Pro devices can use the application for free until June 5, 2024.
As a reminder, Skylum is a leading innovator in photo editing software and the company behind the award-winning Luminar Neo app. As a result, the photo editor developed by Ukrainians received the TIPA 2022 and TIPA 2023 awards in the Best Imaging Software for Photography Enthusiasts category.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine officially confirms that the brands of Inditex, one of the world’s largest fashion distribution groups, such as Zara, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, and Zara Home, are returning to Ukraine.
“On the instructions of the President of Ukraine, since 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been systematically working with all the leading international brands that left the Ukrainian market due to the outbreak of a full-scale war by the Russian Federation to resume their work in Ukraine. The return of Inditex is the next step after the resumption of the work of McDonald’s, H&M and others,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It is noted that the return of large international companies to the Ukrainian market creates new jobs, provides access to quality goods and services, supports Ukraine’s economy during the war and deepens its integration into the world economy, strengthens the confidence of international business and investors in our country and its victory.
“I am grateful to our partners for supporting these efforts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine continues to work to restore the work of international business in our country and attract new companies,” the ministry added.
Bershka, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Pull&Bear, Stradivarius, ZARA, Zara Home
On March 6, Kyiv hosted the fifth anniversary award ceremony of the annual Women in Arts award. The Resistance award, which UN Women in Ukraine and the Ukrainian Institute recognize the achievements of women in the field of culture and art, and from 2023, their contribution to bringing Ukraine’s victory over the aggressor country Russia closer. The event was supported by the Governments of Sweden and Japan, as well as the United Nations Women’s Fund for Peace and Humanitarian Assistance.
The names of the winners of the Women in Arts. The Resistance 2024:
Women in the Visual Arts – Kateryna Buchatska
Women in Music – Jamala
Women in the Performing Arts – Oksana Dmitrieva
Women in Cinema – Alisa Kovalenko
Women in literature – Yaryna Chornohuz
Women in cultural management – Olga Gonchar
Women in Cultural Journalism, Criticism and Research – Kateryna Yakovlenko
Special mention – Kateryna Pryimak
“The theme of this year’s award is Resistance, the resistance that Ukrainian women are putting up to Russian aggression, amplifying women’s voices and calling for a change in the world’s perception of Ukraine. I am grateful to each and every one of them, who through their tireless work encourages the international community to act. Ukrainian artists are using all their talent and all available means of art to call on the world to act and support Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression,” commented Dmytro Kuleba, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Prize.
The winners of the Prize are determined by an expert council and jury consisting of experts in the field of culture and art, representatives of the public sector and independent institutions. The board and jury consist of 42 members. More information about the experts who selected the winners this year can be found on the award’s website.
“In times of the most difficult challenges, Ukrainian women are proving themselves with exceptional resilience, dignity and determination in every sphere of public life. Their leadership, creativity, and unwavering spirit help to overcome the difficulties of war, and they are the embodiment of true resilience and hope for recovery. Today, we not only admire the unwavering spirit of Ukrainian women in the arts, but also honor the talented women who have died as a result of Russian aggression. This is a moment of great pride, deep sorrow and solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” said Sabine Fraser Günes, UN Women Representative in Ukraine.
Special guests of the ceremony were the multimedia performance project Liniya by Christina Kirik, which combines the worlds of music and theater to create immersive experiences through live performances and sensory installations.
The ceremony was hosted by journalist, presenter, poet and screenwriter Oleksandra Hontar and stand-up comedian and volunteer Vasyl Baidak.
Media partners of the fifth Women in Arts Award ceremony: Starlight Media, Radio Culture and Public Culture and Harper’s BAZAAR.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the award has acquired a new meaning – recognizing and honoring the resistance and resilience of Ukrainian women artists and the entire Ukrainian people. This idea is reflected both in the name, to which the prefix “The Resistance” was added, and in the symbolic slogan “Until the Storm is Over” chosen for this year’s ceremony.
A minute of silence was observed at the event in memory of the artists who died as a result of Russian aggression.
The winners of the award were presented with the traditional statuettes by sculptor Maria Kulikovska in the form of intertwined female hands. According to the artist, women’s hands symbolize support and protection, as well as women’s labor. This year, the color of the statuettes is a delicate sky blue, symbolizing the light that remains with us in these turbulent times and the hope for a clear and peaceful sky after the war.
Women in Arts is an independent award founded in 2019 by the Ukrainian Institute and UN Women in Ukraine as part of the HeForShe movement for gender equality. The purpose of the award is to draw attention to the achievements of women artists and to popularize Ukrainian culture in the country and around the world. The winners of previous years include Oksana Zabuzhko, Sofia Andrukhovych, Irma Vitovska-Vantsa, Alevtina Kakhidze, Iryna Tsilyk and others.
For reference: The Ukrainian Institute is a state institution under the management of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The mission of the Ukrainian Institute is to strengthen Ukraine’s international and domestic subjectivity through cultural diplomacy. We establish international cultural ties between people and institutions and create opportunities for Ukrainians to interact with the world.
UN Women is a United Nations entity that focuses on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women.
HeForShe is a global solidarity movement for gender equality, founded by UN Women, that puts men and boys at the center of change. Since its launch in 2014, the campaign has been joined by heads of state, leading scientists, CEOs of global corporations, athletes, artists, and opinion leaders who share the philosophy of gender equality. The movement was launched in Ukraine in 2018. Support is provided by the Government of Sweden.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) fined ODO SK “Premier Garant Profi” in the amount of UAH 595 thousand for violation of requirements in the field of financial monitoring.
As reported on the website of the regulator, the fine was imposed for improper performance by the institution of duties in full to submit to the requests of the National Bank reliable information, documents, copies, extracts from documents relating to the implementation of the institution of the requirements of the legislation in the field of prevention and counteraction to legalization (laundering) of proceeds of crime, financing of terrorism and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
In addition, the fine was imposed for violation in terms of non-compliance of the institution with the requirements of the content of contracts concluded with agents, as well as in terms of the company’s failure to take measures to obtain the permission of the head of the institution to establish business relations in respect of clients whose ultimate beneficial owner is a politically exposed person.
As reported, earlier in January this year, the NBU has already fined SK “Premier Garant Profi” in the amount of UAH 51 thousand for violation of requirements in the field of financial monitoring.
IC “Premier Garant Profi” was registered in 2011. Specializes in risk insurance. According to the company’s data, its shareholder is Elena Ermolova owns 99.99% of the company indirectly through LLC “Alpha Lex LTD”.
Fresh nuclear fuel from Westinghouse (USA) for two power units of Khmelnytsky NPP with VVER-1000 reactors has been delivered to the plant site, the press service of NNEGC Energoatom reported on Friday.
According to the press service, fuel will be loaded into KhNPP reactors this year during scheduled preventive maintenance.
“Before that, two KhNPP units were operating on Russian fuel purchased before the full-scale invasion. After February 24, 2022, Energoatom completely ceased cooperation with the aggressor country. From now on, all domestic nuclear power plants will use American fuel assemblies,” the statement said.
The press service noted that the company has carried out a number of technical works and purchased the necessary equipment to ensure that all Ukrainian NPP units with VVER-1000 and VVER-440 reactors operate on Westinghouse fuel.
As reported, in 2000, in order to diversify the sources of nuclear fuel supply for Ukrainian NPPs, Energoatom and Westinghouse launched a project to qualify Westinghouse’s nuclear fuel. The first nuclear fuel supply contract between the parties was signed in 2008.
In June 2022, Energoatom and Westinghouse signed an agreement on the supply of nuclear fuel for all Ukrainian NPPs.
In September 2023, Energoatom became the world’s first power generating company to operate Soviet-designed reactors, but implemented a project to diversify nuclear fuel for VVER-1000 and VVER-440 reactors.
