Moderate rain is expected on Sunday, May 18, in the eastern and northeastern regions of Ukraine, and during the day in the Carpathian region, with light rain in some areas and thunderstorms in others, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center.
The wind will be southwesterly and westerly, 7-12 m/s, with gusts of 15-20 m/s in the Carpathians during the day. Nighttime temperatures on the right bank will be 4-9°C, on the left bank 8-13°C; daytime temperatures will be 12-17°C, in the southeast of the country 18-23°C.
In the Carpathians, light snow and rain at night, moderate during the day; nighttime and daytime temperatures 0-5°C.
In Kyiv on May 18, light rain in some areas. Wind from the west, 7-12 m/s. Nighttime temperatures 6-8°C, daytime temperatures around 15°C.
According to the Boris Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory, in Kyiv, for the entire period of meteorological observations since 1881, the highest temperature on May 18 was in 1909 (32.1°C), and the lowest was in 1941 (3.0°C above zero).
On Monday, May 19, there will be light rain in some parts of Ukraine, with moderate rain in the afternoon on the left bank and in the southwestern part, and thunderstorms in some places.
The wind will be mainly southwesterly, shifting to northwesterly in the western regions, 7-12 m/s; during the day in the south and east of the country, gusts of 15-20 m/s are possible in some places. Nighttime temperatures will be 4-9°C, in the south and east of the country 7-12°C; daytime temperatures will be 12-17°C, in the southeast of the country up to 20°C.
In the Carpathians, there will be light snow and rain in some places at night and moderate snow and rain during the day; nighttime and daytime temperatures will be 0-5°C.
In Kyiv on May 19, there will be light rain in some places. The wind will be southwesterly, 7-12 m/s. The temperature at night will be 6-8°C, and during the day 14-16°C.
Shareholders of PJSC National Joint Stock Insurance Company Oranta (Kyiv) plan to allocate UAH 40.667 million of net profit for 2024 to pay dividends.
This is stated in the information system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC) in the draft decisions of the company’s shareholders’ meeting scheduled for May 19.
During the meeting, shareholders also plan to approve the amount of dividends per ordinary registered share in the amount of UAH 0.20 and determine that the payment of dividends will be carried out through the depository system of Ukraine in accordance with the procedure established by the supervisory board of NASK Oranta.
As reported, NASK Oranta increased its premium income by 54% in 2024 to UAH 2.35 billion compared to the same period last year, while the volume of payments increased by 22% to UAH 155.2 million.
Over the past year, the company paid out UAH 657 million in claims, which is 25% more than in 2023. The increase in payments is associated with the growth of the portfolio and the number of settled insurance events.
Thus, UAH 487 million (+34%) was paid out under MTPL policies, and UAH 99 million under Green Card agreements. The volume of premiums from legal entities increased by 26% last year.
Its profit amounted to UAH 157 million thanks to an effective tariff policy and expansion of the customer base. Insurance reserves grew by 44% to UAH 1.35 billion, ensuring the insurer’s financial reliability.
NASK Oranta is the successor to Ukrderzhstrakh, founded on November 25, 1921, and has been operating in Ukraine for over 100 years.
The company has been a full member of the MTIBU since 1994 and a member of the Nuclear Insurance Pool since 2003.
The insurer’s main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH. The company has 33 licenses for compulsory and voluntary types of insurance, its network includes over 400 representative offices, and its agency network brings together over 2,000 insurance experts.
In January-April of this year, Ukraine increased exports of processed cast iron in physical terms by 37.4% compared to the same period last year, to 574,057 thousand tons from 417,941 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, during the period in question, exports of pig iron in monetary terms increased by 46% to $226.282 million.
Exports were mainly to the US (83.05% of shipments in monetary terms), Italy (11.34%), and Poland (2.7%).
In the first four months of the year, the country imported 29,000 tons worth $55,000 from Brazil (68.52%) and Germany (31.48%), while in January-April 2024, 15 tons of pig iron worth $35,000 were imported.
As reported, on March 12 of this year, in accordance with a decision by President Donald Trump, the US began imposing a 25% tariff on imports of Ukrainian steel products, except for pig iron.
In 2024, Ukraine reduced exports of processed pig iron in physical terms by 3.4% compared to 2023, to 1 million 290.622 thousand tons, and in monetary terms by 6.1%, to $500.341 million. Exports were mainly to the US (72.64% of shipments in monetary terms), Turkey (8.03%), and Italy (7.30%).
In 2024, the country imported 38 tons of pig iron worth $90 thousand from Germany, while in the same period of 2023, it imported 154 tons of pig iron worth $156 thousand.
In January-April this year, Ukraine reduced exports of semi-finished carbon steel products in physical terms by 24.6% compared to the same period last year, to 440,036 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, in monetary terms, exports of carbon steel semi-finished products fell by 25.3% to $215.286 million.
The main exports were mainly to Bulgaria (40.65% of supplies in monetary terms), Turkey (18.46%), and Poland (13.59%).
During the period in question, Ukraine imported 3,303 thousand tons of semi-finished products worth $2.687 million, mainly from the Czech Republic (72.47%), Italy (26.26%), and Romania (0.93%).
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased exports of semi-finished products made of carbon steel in physical terms by 56.7% compared to 2023, to 1 million 886.090 thousand tons. The main export destinations were Bulgaria (32.06% of shipments in monetary terms), Egypt (18.50%), and Turkey (11.14%).
In 2024, Ukraine imported 306 tons of semi-finished products worth $278 thousand from the Czech Republic (88.13%), Romania (7.19%), and Poland (2.88%), while in 2023, it imported 96 tons worth $172 thousand.
The company “Ma’Rizhany Hemp Company” (Zhytomyr region) has commissioned a plant for processing industrial hemp with a capacity of 14,000 tons per year in the “Ma’Rizhany” industrial park, according to the Ministry of Economy.
“The development of domestic processing is one of the key tasks of the government’s “Made in Ukraine” policy and part of the national economic concept. We must change the structure of the economy from raw materials to high technology and increase the production of high value-added goods,” said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko during an introductory visit, as quoted in the report.
The plant will produce long fibers for textiles and technical fabrics (for export, with the prospect of processing within the country for the Ukrainian fashion industry); short fibers for paper, nonwoven materials, insulation, and straw will be used as raw materials for bioplastics, construction materials, and animal bedding.
According to a Facebook post by Dmytro Kysilevsky, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on economic development, who was present at the opening of the plant, the investment in the first phase of the project exceeded $20 million. The plant currently employs 200 people.
According to information from the company, cited by the Ministry of Economy, in the 1990s, the processing of bast crops in Ukraine virtually disappeared, and with it, the production of combed yarn. This made the textile industry dependent on imports and reduced its competitiveness.
To change the situation, in 2023, Ma’Rizhani Hemp Company began renovating the abandoned flax factory. In 2024, the company planted 890 hectares of industrial hemp, and in 2025, 1,200 hectares.
“This is the largest area under hemp cultivation in Central and Eastern Europe,” the report says.
Currently, the production area is 10,000 square meters, the warehouse area is 10,800 square meters, the construction and installation of equipment has been completed, and testing of raw materials and the production of the first samples has begun. As reported, IP “Ma’Rizhany” occupies about 30 hectares, the territory of a former flax processing plant. It will be the first park in Europe for the primary processing of bast crops. It was entered in the Register of IPs in August 2024. It is planned to create more than 700 jobs.
