The Marshall Islands government has introduced an unconditional basic income (UBI) program, according to The Guardian. Under the program, every citizen living in the Marshall Islands will receive approximately $200 every quarter. The first payments were made at the end of November, and recipients could choose how to receive them: in cash to a bank account, by check, or cryptocurrency via a digital wallet.
“We, the government, want to make sure that no one is left behind,” Marshall Islands Finance Minister David Paul told the British newspaper.
“Quarterly payments of $200 per person, or about $800 per year, do not oblige people to quit their jobs… on the contrary, they are intended to lift spirits,” he said.
According to him, these payments should become a “social safety net” amid rising costs and an exodus of citizens.
The BDD program is funded by a trust fund created as part of an agreement with the United States, which, in particular, wants to compensate the Marshall Islands for decades of American nuclear testing. The fund’s assets amount to $1.3 billion, and the United States has pledged to contribute another $500 million by the end of 2027.
Experts cited by The Guardian call this program the first of its kind in the world.
The Marshall Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia. Their population is about 42,000.
The volume of exports of insulated wires and cables, including fiber optic cables, from Ukraine in January-November 2025 increased by 9.6% in monetary terms compared to the same period in 2024, reaching $1.315 billion, according to data from the State Customs Service.
Germany remains the largest importer of Ukrainian cables and wires, as it was a year earlier, but supplies to this country decreased by 6.8% to $443.7 million, and its share in total exports decreased by 5.9 percentage points to 33.7%.
The top three buyers also included Hungary with purchases worth $217.7 million (16.6% of exports) and Poland with $208.5 million (15.85%), while in January-November 2024, Poland ($172.4 million, 14.4%) and the Czech Republic ($155.9 million, 13%) were in second and third place.
In November 2025, exports of insulated wires and cables exceeded $117 million, which is 5.4% more than in November of the previous year.
According to the State Customs Service, in 2024 Ukraine already increased exports of these products by 60.2% compared to 2023, to $1.275 billion.
Imports of tin and tin products in January-November 2025 increased by 42.5% to $4.062 million. In November, imports amounted to $582,000.
At the same time, exports of tin and tin products in the first 11 months of 2025 amounted to $241,000, and in November — $89,000, compared to $389,000 in the same period of 2024.
In 2024, imports of tin and tin products increased by 16.9% to $3.188 million, while exports amounted to $389,000.
In 2023, imports of tin and tin products decreased by 23% to $2.728 million, while exports amounted to $159 thousand, compared to $424 thousand in 2022.
Tin is mainly used as a safe, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant coating in its pure form or in alloys with other metals. The main industrial applications of tin are in white tin (tinned iron) for the manufacture of food containers, in solders for electronics, in domestic piping, in bearing alloys, and in coatings made of tin and its alloys. The most important tin alloy is bronze (with copper).
US President Donald Trump has signed a new presidential proclamation that expands and tightens restrictions on foreign nationals entering the country, bringing the number of countries subject to full or partial bans to 39, according to the text of the document and explanations from the White House.
According to the proclamation, the previously existing restrictions on the entry of citizens of 12 “high-risk” countries remain in full force: Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Entry into the US for citizens of these countries in immigration and most non-immigration visa categories is suspended, except for individual exceptions and humanitarian cases provided for by law and the document.
A complete ban on entry also applies to citizens of five additional countries—Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria—as well as to individuals traveling on travel documents issued or certified by the Palestinian Authority. The decision is justified by high visa overstays (cases of exceeding the permitted period of stay), security concerns, and the unwillingness of the authorities of these countries to accept deported citizens.
Separately, the proclamation moves Laos and Sierra Leone from partial restrictions to a de facto total ban: entry into the US for citizens of these countries under both immigrant and major non-immigrant visa categories (B-1/B-2, F, M, J) is suspended.
At the same time, the document eases restrictions for Turkmenistan: against the backdrop of “significant progress” in cooperation with Washington, restrictions on the issuance of non-immigrant visas to citizens of this country are being lifted, but the ban on immigrant entry remains in place.
In addition, partial restrictions are being introduced for 15 countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. For citizens of these countries, entry into the US as immigrants and as holders of B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas will be restricted, and the validity of other categories of visas issued by US consulates is expected to be reduced “to the extent permitted by law.” The reasons cited are high rates of visa violations, the existence of “citizenship for investment” programs without residency requirements, and problems with returning illegal migrants to their home countries.
Partial restrictions remain in place for a number of countries that already appeared in previous versions of the high-risk migration regime, in particular Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela, according to White House documents.
The US administration emphasizes that the goal of the updated system is to “increase security and immigration control” and to encourage foreign countries to strengthen data exchange, reduce visa violations, and more actively accept deported citizens. The document provides for the possibility of revising the list of countries and the nature of restrictions based on the results of regular assessments by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.
According to observers, the Trump administration’s next step in the field of migration may be to further tighten checks on applicants from “at-risk” countries, expanding the practice of targeted restrictions on certain visa categories (including work and student visas), and attempting to link the easing of restrictions to agreements on security and cooperation on the return of illegal migrants. At the same time, experts expect legal disputes over the new measures to intensify and be challenged in federal courts, as has been the case in previous years.
https://expertsclub.eu/tramp-posylyuye-migraczijnu-polityku-chogo-ochikuvaty-dali/
The state-owned Oschadbank has signed a series of loan agreements with companies belonging to the Kernel Group for a total amount of $77 million, which, according to the bank, is the largest amount of lending to private businesses among Ukrainian banks in 2025.
“The development of Ukraine’s agricultural export potential is an important aspect of strengthening the state’s economy. This is the main focus of Kernel’s business and one of Oschadbank’s priorities,” said Yuriy Katsion, deputy chairman of Oschadbank’s board responsible for corporate business, on Facebook.
According to a press release from the bank, almost half of the lending volume may be directed toward investment needs: these are non-revolving credit lines of $36.7 million with a term of seven years.
It is noted that the funds may also be used to upgrade the fleet of agricultural machinery and equipment to ensure uninterrupted cultivation of agricultural land, as well as to finance and refinance capital expenditures related to the reconstruction of the Transbalkterminal grain terminal (Chornomorsk), which was damaged as a result of a Russian missile attack in 2023.
Another feature of the agreement is the borrower’s right to draw down the entire credit limit of $77 million during the term of the agreement to replenish working capital, provided that the limits provided for investment lending are reduced, the bank said.
It is specified that the replenishment of working capital may be carried out by the group’s companies, in particular, for the purchase of grain, fertilizers, plant protection products, fuels and lubricants, other goods, works, and services.
Before the war, Kernel was the world’s leading producer of sunflower oil (about 7% of global production) and its exporter (about 12%). It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. In addition, it is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
In fiscal year 2025 (FY, July 2024 – June 2025), Kernel earned $238 million in net profit, which is 42% more than in FY 2024. Kernel’s consolidated revenue in FY2025 reached $4.115 billion, an increase of 15% compared to the previous fiscal year.
The company’s debt obligations at the end of September amounted to $726 million, including bank credit lines of $104.5 million, compared to $146.7 million at the beginning of the year.
As reported, in October 2025, Oschadbank’s corporate segment 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 November this year, Oschadbank, with total assets of UAH 456.23 billion, ranked second among 60 banks in terms of this indicator.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air has officially resumed operations at Suceava “Ștefan cel Mare” International Airport in north-eastern Romania, which is the closest international airport to Ukraine.
According to the airline’s statement, two Airbus A321neo aircraft are based in Suceava, and more than 130,000 seats have been added for the 2025/26 winter season. Starting this week, Wizz Air is launching seven new routes from Suceava to Bologna, Milan-Bergamo, Venice, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Birmingham, Larnaca and Brussels-Charleroi, and from January 2026, it will increase the frequency of flights to Dortmund to four times a week.
With the new destinations, Wizz Air now offers 13 routes from Suceava to six European countries – in addition to the cities mentioned above, there are flights to Vienna, Rome, London, Memmingen and Milan Malpensa.
The airline positions Suceava as the closest international airport for Ukrainian passengers: the airport is located near the border, and there are numerous bus services from Chernivtsi, with the journey usually taking 2-3 hours, sometimes up to 1.5 hours with minimal queues at the Porubne-Siret checkpoint. Ticket prices start at around 400 UAH.
According to industry experts, the development of the base in Suceava expands the range of cheap flights to EU countries for Ukrainian residents while Ukrainian airports remain closed to regular flights due to the full-scale war.
