Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal has signed an agreement with Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Kroo to finance EUR 150 million worth of recovery projects in Ukraine.
“In particular, the funds will be used to restore energy and social infrastructure in Kyiv and Chernihiv regions,” Shmyhal wrote on his telegram channel following the online meeting.
According to him, the signed agreement simplifies the implementation of joint programs and projects, and will contribute to the recovery, economic and social development of Ukraine.
Under the agreement, the Belgian development agency Enabel will open a representative office in Ukraine.
Japan plans to provide Ukraine with $3.3bn in support loans using interest from frozen Russian assets, Kyodo has quoted diplomatic sources as saying.
According to the sources, during the summit, G7 members agreed to allocate a total of $50 billion to support Ukraine.
The US and the EU are expected to allocate $20 billion each, while Japan, Britain and Canada will “share” the remaining $10 billion.
The G7 plans to start implementing the project by the end of this year.
The Government of Latvia has approved the allocation of EUR 100 thousand to finance the operation of Ukrainian medical institutions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia reports.
“On July 16, 2024, the government approved a bill submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the allocation of financial resources from the State Budget Program “Reserve Fund”, which aims to provide funding in the amount of 100,000 euros for Latvia’s support to the functioning of Ukrainian medical institutions in wartime. By this order of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is authorized to make a contribution on behalf of Latvia to support the work of Ukrainian medical institutions,” the statement said.
It is noted that the funds will be used to reconstruct medical facilities and supply medical equipment, their operation and treatment of patients. The payment will be made through a single responsible UN agency, such as the World Health Organization or the UN Office for Project Services, or through the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.
“The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia, in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and embassies, is collecting information on urgently needed medicines, medical devices and equipment, and work is underway to organize the next shipment of donations to Ukrainian medical institutions,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Latvia has been providing Ukraine with medical devices, medicines, ambulances and other medical equipment and materials.
On July 8, 2024, Russia launched a missile strike on Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital, Okhmatdyt, and the ISIDA Women’s Health and Family Planning Center. The strikes injured or killed several patients and doctors of both medical institutions. These attacks have seriously disrupted the operation of medical facilities and put additional strain on other Ukrainian hospitals.
The number of concluded contracts “Green Card” in January-June 2024 decreased by 8.7% – to 716.7 thousand, according to the website of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTSBU).
According to the message, in general, accrued insurance premiums under such contracts for the first half of the year increased by 4.7% compared to the same period of 2023 – up to UAH 2.661 billion.
At the same time, the amount of claims paid increased by 19.04% to EUR 26.1 mln, while the number of paid claims increased by 12.8% to 8.028 thousand.
MTSBU also notes that if earlier “Green Card” policies were issued more for a short term of up to 3 months, now more and more drivers choose long-term or annual insurance contracts.
MTSBU is the only association of insurers carrying out compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles for damage caused to third parties.
“Green Card” is a system of insurance coverage for victims of road traffic accidents regardless of their country of residence and country of vehicle registration. It covers the territory of 45 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.
According to the decision adopted by the General Assembly of the Council of the Bureau of the International Motor Insurance System “Green Card” in Luxembourg in May 2004, Ukraine is a full member of this system since January 1, 2005.
In January-June 2024, Ukrainian ports increased their transshipment volume by 1.6 times, to 53 million tons, amid an increase in processing volumes in the Black Sea ports and a decrease in the Danube ports, the press service of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) reports.
“In total, in 6 months of 2024, Ukrainian ports transshipped 53 million tons compared to 31.2 million tons in 2023, 6,046 vessels were handled,” the statement said.
It is indicated that in June, the cargo turnover of ports amounted to 7 million tons, which is 1.5 times higher than in 2023. At the same time, about 80%, or 5.6 million tons, were shipped through the Ukrainian Sea Corridor. More than half of this volume – 3.6 million tons – was the production of Ukrainian farmers.
Grain cargo remains the leader in port transshipment. During the month, 4.4 million tons were transshipped, compared to 3.4 million tons in 2023, as well as ore cargo – 1.2 million tons, compared to 0.2 million tons in 2023.
“90% of foreign trade goes through the ports of the Danube and the ports of Greater Odesa. Today, Danube ports export 1.5-1.3 million tons. The reason is the de-blockade of Odesa ports and the seasonal decline in exports,” the statement quotes the head of the USPA, Yuriy Lytvyn, as saying.
According to the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development, 2.79 million tons were exported through the ports of the Danube cluster in June 2023, and 2.98 million tons in July.
A number of countries in southern and central Europe are facing extremely hot weather, European media reported on Wednesday.
In particular, this situation is observed in Greece. In Athens, the Acropolis was closed to the public on Wednesday. The local authorities announced that they had made this decision to protect both employees and tourists from the heat. It is expected that during the day the air temperature in the capital will warm up to 43 degrees Celsius.
In addition, Greece has introduced an increased level of danger due to forest fires amid hot, dry weather. In some regions of the country, a ban has been imposed on construction work in the middle of the day, when temperatures reach peak levels.
In Italy, the day before, 12 cities, including Rome, declared the highest level of danger due to the heat. In recent days, four people have died in different parts of the country due to this weather. The country’s Ministry of Health recommended that citizens stay indoors and drink plenty of water if possible.
According to the forecast of the Spanish Meteorological Service, in the coming days in the south of the country, the air may warm up to 44 degrees Celsius.
In Romania, the air temperature in many areas has also been around 40 degrees Celsius in recent days.
Forest fires have started in different parts of Albania due to heat and wind.
Abnormally hot weather has also set in Turkey, where temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius. It is expected that this heat will remain in the country for another two days.
