In February 2023 Ukrainian banks issued 126 mortgage loans totaling UAH 169.8 million, which is five times less than in February 2022 by number of such loans and by 69% – by volume, according to results of a monthly survey of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
According to it, four banks reported on the issuance of mortgages. Loans were mainly issued under state programs to support lending exclusively in the secondary market of real estate.
The weighted average effective rate on mortgages in February was 8.3%, while in January it was 7.5%.
According to the survey, the most loans were granted in Kiev and the region – 51 contracts totaling 77.5 million UAH (46% of the total amount), in Rivne – 10 contracts for 12.5 million UAH (7%) and in Vinnitsa region – seven contracts for 9.8 million UAH (6%).
Abnormally hot weather has set in many Asian countries, including India and China, local media reported Wednesday.
Temperature records for April set this week in Laos, where the temperature rose to 42.7 degrees Celsius, as well as in Thailand – up to 45 degrees Celsius, in Myanmar – up to 44.
The day before, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha expressed concern about the “dangerously high temperatures in different parts of Thailand.” He said the temperature could reach 52.3 degrees Celsius in the Bangkok area.
In China, several cities – Chengdu, Zhejiang, Nanjing and Hangzhou – recorded record high temperatures.
The meteorological service announced about heightened danger because of the heat in some regions of India. In six cities in the north and east of India the temperature this week rose above 44 degrees Celsius, in the capital – above 40. It is expected that the abnormally hot weather will continue until the end of this week. In some states of the country, classes in schools have been canceled, and 13 people have been reported dead from the consequences of the hot weather.
In most regions of Pakistan and Bangladesh, the air has been warming above 40 degrees Celsius for several days.
The results of last year’s study by Harvard and Washington universities showed that intense heat with temperatures dangerous for people during this century is likely to come 3 – 10 times more often than usual.
The Hungarian Agriculture Ministry on 19 April expanded the list of Ukrainian agricultural products banned for import to 25.
According to Hungarian Agriculture Minister Istvan Nagy, quoted by the Hirado.hu daily, the measures were introduced for an interim period and will allow for meaningful and long-term EU measures, a review of the full duty-free nature of Ukrainian goods and the work of solidarity corridors.
Nagy explained that the ban applies to cereals, rapeseed and sunflower seeds, flour, vegetable oil, honey and some types of meat, and is valid until June 30, 2023.
At the same time Hungary does not prohibit the transit of these products through its territory.
Transit traffic is still allowed in Hungary, but the competent authorities will seal the shipments at the border and then monitor them with electronic devices and patrols. Transit procedures for affected products will be checked throughout the country.
The minister added that carriers who violate the rules could be fined. The fine can reach the full value of the cargo.
As a reminder, Bulgaria imposed a temporary ban on food imports from Ukraine, with the exception of transit goods.
In recent days, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia banned import of Ukrainian agricultural products, in Romania there are calls for this due to the harm to local farmers due to lower prices of Ukrainian products.
Poland on the night of April 20 to 21 resumes transit of Ukrainian agricultural products under new rules.
Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (Odessa, Ukraine) received as humanitarian aid the drug melphalan for the treatment of retinoblastoma, an intraocular malignant tumor in children.
As the Interfax-Ukraine agency was informed at the clinic, the drug is used to treat this tumor with the Institute’s own combined polychemotherapy method which implies injecting the drug directly into the tumor in combination with general polychemotherapy. This method allows to save the eye affected by the tumor and even vision in 80% of cases, including those with retinoblastoma stage 3-4.
The drug used for intraocular injections is melphalan, which is produced by Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited.
“Unfortunately, recently it has been impossible to purchase melphalan for injections in Ukraine. The institute has taken active steps to obtain the drug,” the institute reported.
Obtaining the drug was made possible thanks to the efforts of Olga Nikitchenko, head of the patronage service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Ambassador to South Africa Lubov Abravitova, and Stavros Nikolau, senior executive director of Aspen Group, with support from the We Stand with Ukraine Foundation.
“The drug was delivered to the Filatov Institute. And literally the next day the first patient received treatment to save his vision and life,” the clinic reported.
Retinoblastoma is an intraocular highly malignant retinal tumor that develops mainly in children in the first two years of life and accounts for 89.3% to 98.2% of all intraocular neoplasms in children. Retinoblastoma incidence rate in the world is currently 1 case per 10-15 thousands newborns.
Due to asymptomatic course of the disease the majority of children (85-86%) come to the clinics with far advanced stage of retinoblastoma and even up to now many clinics have considered that the only way to save the life of the child was to remove the tumor together with the eye.
Retinoblastoma treatment in Ukraine is carried out at the Department of Pediatric Ophthalmopathology of the Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy named after Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy. V.P.Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of NAMS of Ukraine”. In recent years, the clinic has treated about 300 children with retinoblastoma aged from three months to eight years. One child receives from three to 20 injections, depending on the stage of the disease.
Bulgaria has imposed a temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine, except for goods that are in transit, Acting Prime Minister Galab Donev said.
“The main reason is that last year, contrary to the idea of the so-called “solidarity corridors,” significant amounts of food remained in the country and the main production and trade chains were disrupted. If this trend persists and even intensifies, which is quite possible after the introduction of similar bans from other countries, it could have very serious consequences for Bulgarian businesses,” bnr.bg quoted Donev as saying at Wednesday’s government meeting.
According to the acting prime minister, the government is forced to take this measure because “responsible European authorities are still considering an adequate response to the changed circumstances to which the solidarity corridors have led.”
Donev expressed hope that Brussels would hear the positions of EU member states – Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia – and reconsider its own. “Bulgaria remains in solidarity with Ukraine, but the bankruptcy of Bulgarian agricultural producers will not help this cause,” the prime minister stressed.
At Wednesday’s meeting, the Bulgarian government will decide on the duration of the temporary ban on imports of agricultural products from Ukraine.
Poland on April 15, after the congress of farmers, made a unilateral decision to temporarily halt imports of any agricultural products from Ukraine until June 30, 2023, despite the fact that on July 7, a bilateral agreement was reached with Ukraine to temporarily suspend exports of only four crops – wheat, corn, canola and sunflower, while transit was kept, but with tightened conditions, which the parties planned to agree upon quickly.
Similar decisions were then taken by Hungary and Slovakia.
On the night of April 20, Poland resumes the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products, but will apply a number of control mechanisms.
Secretary of State for Development, German government coordinator for international aid to Ukraine Jochen Flasbart, who arrived in Kiev yesterday, agreed on another aid package with Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk and Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development reported.
According to the report, the development ministry will invest an additional 111 million euros in housing for displaced people and in support for Ukrainian municipalities, such as renovating and equipping kindergartens, schools and hospitals.
“Rebuilding Ukraine will be a gigantic task for the country, its people and for us as an international community. And it is already beginning now, even if, unfortunately, there is no end in sight to the war. This long-term perspective and early planning is important. We want to show the people of Ukraine that we will continue to stand with them in solidarity. And we need to make sure that our short-term support matches the long-term recovery,” the secretary of state said.
He stressed that “this is also about investing in Europe’s future, because a strong economic Ukraine will also be an important pillar of our shared European prosperity.”
Flasbart is in Ukraine from April 18 to 19 as the federal government’s commissioner to coordinate international reconstruction efforts. In addition to talks with the Ukrainian government on expanding bilateral cooperation, the trip includes talks with Ukrainian civil society on strengthening anti-corruption measures and transparency, as well as an exchange of views with Ukrainian entrepreneurs. Flasbart is also holding talks with parliamentarians, the Ukrainian Association of Cities and Municipalities and the United Nations.
According to information, Berlin has provided 3.6 billion euros in civilian support to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion last February.
