A French quarter is planned to be built around the Vorzel History and Culture Museum “Uvarovsky Dom” (a local architectural monument), Bucha Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said.
“For several months now, a group of French architects has been working on the concept of developing this part of Vorzel, which we intend to develop as a cultural and educational space. On the one hand, it is important to preserve and restore the Uvarovsky House itself. On the other hand – to build a new building of school № 10 and preschool educational institution, which was destroyed by the Rashists”, – he reported in Telegram-channel.
The mayor of Bucha specified that the project of modern cultural space was presented by the president of the Architectural Association AMO Martin Duplantier.
“The proposed new building combines modern solutions for such spaces with traditional wooden elements for Vorzel. Funding has been agreed to be sought together. We expect that the idea of such a neighborhood will also like the residents of Vorzel and those citizens of France who want to support our community in the recovery,” said Fedoruk.
Vorzel since 2018 is a part of the Buchatskaya city community.
“The Uvarovsky House, a symbol of the city, was built in Vorzel in 1902 for the famous Kiev industrialist Karl-Henrich Septer. It was later purchased by Countess Natalia Uvarova, the daughter of the famous sugar manufacturer and patron of the arts Feodor Tereshchenko.
Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry has allocated about $56 million in the 2023 budget for rebuilding Ukraine’s civil infrastructure, Caribbean News Global reported Monday.
The publication said, citing Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry, plans to participate in the reconstruction of Ukrainian hospitals, schools, churches, energy facilities, water supply, bridges and transport on a bilateral and multilateral basis.
“Since the start of the war (Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine), the people and government of Taiwan have donated a total of 27 tons of medical supplies and more than 700 tons of humanitarian aid. Aid from Taiwan was quickly delivered via Poland, Slovakia and other neighboring countries to Ukrainians seeking to protect their homes during the war,” the publication notes.
Taiwan also donated more than $41 million to efforts in coordination with neighboring countries – including Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Lithuania – and international organizations to resettle Ukrainian refugees together.
The German federal government is allocating 5 million euros to support a project to repair war-damaged schools in Ukraine, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Ukraine reports.
“The UNDP-coordinated project will promote sustainability and green recovery through the repair and modernization of damaged educational institutions in war-affected territories as part of the UNDP Resilience and Recovery Programme. The first sites where repairs will be funded were selected from a list of 74 schools located in 12 cities that are in urgent need of repair work. The list was compiled by the Ministry of Education of Ukraine”, – stated in the message.
The financial contribution of the German government will be distributed among 12 schools in five regions – Zaporizhzhia, Mykolayiv, Rivne, Sumy and Chernihiv. Thus, more than 3 thousand students will be able to resume their education.
In the course of repair work, the Eurocode 8 standard, which applies to the design and construction of structures and other construction work in seismic areas, will be applied. There will also be a unified approach to the repair and modernization of existing buildings. The use of hazardous building materials (e.g., asbestos, sealants containing persistent organic pollutants) will be prohibited, the use of environmentally friendly furniture and equipment will be encouraged (e.g., LED lights instead of fluorescent lamps containing mercury). In addition, a key part of the initial design task and part of the requirements for the selection of the design team and developers will be the criteria of architectural accessibility.
“The UNDP team has already begun inspecting each building and assessing specific rehabilitation needs. The accelerated procurement procedure will allow identifying a group of companies to carry out repairs that will be carried out in full compliance with national legislation and Eurocode 8 standards, while respecting Build Back Better principles,” said UNDP Resident Representative in Ukraine Jaco Silje, noting that institutions that have suffered minor or partial damage will be repaired and modernized.
German Ambassador to Ukraine Anka Feldhusen said it is important to invest in Ukraine’s future and in the sustainability of its children and teachers.
“Eventually these children will live in this great country and rebuild it for the better. But they need schools to teach them and teachers to show them the way. We also need to make sure that school buildings are safe places to learn in terms of environmental standards,” she stressed.
The Georgian government has allowed Ukrainian citizens to enter and stay on its territory for two years without having to apply for a visa.
The corresponding decree was published on the official website of the Legislative Herald of Georgia.
Document No. 81, adopted on February 24, 2023, amends the Georgian government’s resolution of June 5, 2015 “On approving the list of countries whose citizens can enter Georgia without a visa.”
According to the amendments, from now on citizens of Ukraine have the right to enter Georgia without a visa and stay in Georgia for a full two years.
The document was signed by the Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili. It enters into force from the day of its promulgation.
Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, who arrived in Kyiv on a visit, expressed words of support for Ukraine and announced another aid package, including the Role 2 mobile field hospital, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said.
Pevkur assured that Estonia will help Ukraine win this war. He also announced another package of assistance to Ukraine, which will include important things for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to his statement, cited by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
The Minister of Defense of Estonia said the new assistance package includes the Role 2 mobile field hospital, which will save the lives of Ukrainian defenders at the frontline. The symbolic key to the third hospital, transferred to Ukraine by Estonia, the Netherlands and Norway, Pevkur handed over to Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov, the press service of the Ukrainian defense ministry said.
As Pevkur noted, the total amount of assistance to Ukraine from Estonia has already exceeded 1% of the GDP of this Baltic country. That is why the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense called on other Western countries to follow the example of his country and increase assistance to Ukraine.
Pevkur said that recently, at the level of the countries of the European Union, Estonia initiated urgent support for the Ukrainian defense with one million 155-caliber artillery shells. It is going to do everything so that Ukraine receives more ammunition, equipment, equipment and other necessary assistance, he said.
According to the Defense Ministry press service, representatives of the Estonian defense department were presented with the logistics program LOGFAS – a system for recording, controlling the movement and end use of military equipment and property received from Western partners.
At the meeting, the defense ministers of the two countries discussed the issue of further consolidation of efforts to repel Russia’s armed aggression and the implementation of bilateral projects to strengthen the capabilities of the Ukrainian defense forces.
Heineken plans to exit Russia in the first half of 2023, although it is having difficulties with the sale of its Russian assets, the Dutch brewer said in a press release.
“It is challenging to close a transaction in Russia at the moment as rules continue to shift. We aren’t dragging our feet and do wish things would move more quickly. With that said, all things remaining the same, we aim to reach an agreement in the first half of this year,” the company said.
The company estimated the negative financial impact of the exit from Russia at about 300 million euros. The final loss will be determined when the Russian business is transferred to a new owner, Heineken said.
Heineken, which has seven breweries in Russia, announced in March 2022 that it was suspending new investment in and exports to Russia, as well as production and sales of its flagship Heineken brand. The company also announced that it would not accept any net financial benefits or profits from its business in Russia; all payments, royalties and dividends were suspended.
Heineken’s portfolio includes about 300 brands, including Heineken, Amstel, Birra Moretti, Desperados, Foster’s, Newcastle Brown Ale, Sagres, Sol, Star, Strongbow, Tecate and Tiger. National brands in Russia include Okhota, Zhigulevskoye and Stepan Razin, among others.
