Greenland’s Prime Minister Muthe Bowrup Egede has emphasized his desire for independence from Denmark, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding the island’s future, Reuters reported.
“It is time for us to step up and shape our future ourselves, including in terms of who we will work closely with and who will be our trading partners,” Egede said in his New Year’s Day speech.
He noted that “our cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark has not resulted in full equality.” “Now it is time for our country to take the next step. Like other countries around the world, we must work to remove the obstacles to cooperation, which we can describe as the shackles of colonialism, and move forward,” the Greenlandic prime minister said.
Egede added that the decision on independence is up to the people of Greenland, but did not say when the vote might take place.
Greenland’s government has reportedly rejected US President-elect Donald Trump’s offers to buy the island twice, in 2019 and again in 2024, with Egede asserting that “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and we will never be for sale.”
Parliamentary elections are due in Greenland by April 6.
Reuters writes that an independence movement has been gaining momentum in Greenland in recent years, in part because of revelations of Danish actions in the twentieth century. Greenland was a Danish colony until 1953, but is now a self-governing territory and was granted the right to declare independence by vote in 2009. In 2023, the Greenlandic government presented its first draft constitution.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 4116-IX on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine to combat gambling addiction (ludomania) and improve state regulation of activities related to the organization and conduct of gambling and lotteries. According to the website of the Verkhovna Rada, the draft law was sent for signature by the President of Ukraine on December 9, 2024, and returned with his signature on January 3, 2025.
According to the law, by April 1, 2025, a new authorized body will be created instead of KRAIL and a ministry will be designated to formulate policy in the field of gambling and lotteries.
The law also introduces a mechanism for restricting access to illegal gambling websites/mobile applications, and prohibits gambling advertising (with the following exceptions: on TV and radio at night, in media for people over 21, on platforms and search engines with a target audience over 21).
In addition, it is prohibited to offer or reimburse expenses for participation in gambling, make phone calls, send messages to an indefinite number of people, and offer free bonuses instead of placing bets and accepting bets on credit or with subsequent payment.
The advertisement itself prohibits the participation of military personnel, volunteers, popular figures, as well as the use of war-related topics.
The law also prohibits persons who are owners or officials of gambling companies that have tax or license arrears, sponsorship, except for sports sponsorship, from obtaining a license.
According to the adopted law, payments for gambling will be made exclusively in cash through current bank accounts, and the use of other payment services is prohibited.
It is emphasized that the law makes lotteries subject to most of the restrictions on the gambling business: requirements for the reputation of officials, tax debt, relations with the aggressor country, and exclusively bank payments.
As for licenses for state lotteries, foreign entities with relevant experience are allowed to obtain them.
The law also clarifies the rules on the mandatory use of cash registers by gambling businesses, the rules on the impossibility of obtaining a license by persons associated with the aggressor country, namely, the use of their brands is prohibited, limits on expenses and game time, as well as mandatory breaks are set.
The law also introduces “control purchases” during video-recorded inspections.
As reported, on December 4, 2024, the Verkhovna Rada supported the draft law No. 9256d on strengthening control over the gambling market and liquidating the Commission for Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (CRGL) in the second reading and by 239 votes in total.
According to Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology and Minister of Digital Transformation, the essence of the law is to reorganize the CRGL and remove the human factor from the license issuance process. Further, to digitalize licenses so that they are issued automatically according to clear criteria and to start implementing an online monitoring system.
Prior to that, on March 29, 2024, Pavlo Petrychenko, a soldier of the 59th Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, registered a petition asking the president to pay attention to the harm that online casinos and ludomania (gambling addiction) cause to the Ukrainian army and society. By the evening of the same day, the petition had gained over 26 thousand votes. The President of Ukraine instructed the heads of the Security Service of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council to collect analytics on the operation of online casinos and propose their decision next week.
According to Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy, this situation is related to the inactivity of the CRGL, which was created three years ago. He believes that the regulator did not develop responsible gambling rules separately for both organizers and players and organized “selective control in the best corruption traditions” rather than total control over the organizers’ compliance with the requirements to restrict access to gambling for persons listed in the Register of Self-Restrictions.
In 2024, Ukraine reached the pre-war level of exports of $24.5 billion, accounting for 59% of total exports, the second historical record after 2021, when the country supplied $27.7 billion worth of agricultural products to foreign markets, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Vitaliy Koval said on Telegram.
The Minister clarified that in total, Ukraine exported 78.3 million tons of agricultural products in 2024. At the same time, sunflower oil accounted for the largest share (21%), with almost 6 million tons exported for $5.1 billion. Corn was in second place, accounting for 21% of agricultural exports with 29.6 million tons worth $5 billion, and wheat was in third place, with 15%, 20.6 million tons worth $3.7 billion.
Among the leaders, Koval named rapeseed – 7% (3.8 million tons for $1.8 billion), soybeans – 5% (3.4 million tons for $1.3 billion), cake and residues obtained during the extraction of vegetable fats and vegetable oils – 4% (4.7 million tons for $1 billion).
The share of meat and edible poultry products reached 4%. These products amounted to 447 thousand tons worth $958 million. Barley (3.3 million tons worth $557 million) and sugar (746 thousand tons worth $418 million) accounted for 2% each, the Minister of Agrarian Policy summarized.
OJSC “Meridian” named after Korolyov” (Kyiv), a part of the state concern ‘Ukroboronprom’, paid dividends to shareholders for 2023 totaling UAH 10.985 million at the rate of UAH 10.9038 per share of UAH 0.5 par value.
According to the information published in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), this decision was made by an extraordinary meeting of shareholders on December 5.
At the same time, the dividend payment period is from November 27 to December 31, 2024. Dividends are paid through the depository system and directly to shareholders.
According to the NSSMC for the third quarter of 2024, the state, represented by Ukroboronprom, owns 50.0001% of shares in OJSC Meridian named after Korolyov, and another 40.0753% is owned by Meridian Union LLC, one of the beneficiaries of which, according to Clarity Project, is Vadym Hryb, co-owner of the Tekt investment company.
According to the agenda of the meeting, several options for the distribution of the net profit of UAH 12.205 million received in 2023 were put forward for approval by the shareholders, including 90% of the profit with a payment of UAH 10.9038 per share for dividends, and 10% to replenish the reserve capital.
The agenda also included the issue of the distribution of net profit received in 2024, according to the draft decision, it was planned to set the share of net profit to be allocated to dividends at 35%, and 65% to be used to replenish reserve capital.
“Founded in 1953, Meridian Korolyov is a diversified enterprise specializing in the development and serial production of electronic devices for various purposes, including radio measuring instruments: frequency meters, spectrum analyzers, and generators.
The company also performs galvanizing, laser cutting of metals, and plastic molding.
According to Clarity Project, the company increased its net revenue by 24% in 2023 to UAH 177.43 million compared to 2022, while net profit decreased by 27% to UAH 12.2 million.
In 2024, Ukrainian sugar producers set a historical record for sugar exports, exporting 746.3 thousand tons of the product to foreign markets for $419 million, the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine (Ukrtsukor) reported.
“This is the highest figure for sugar exports within a calendar year according to statistics dating back to 1997, when the National Association of Sugar Producers of Ukraine was established,” the industry association said.
Ukrtsukr added that 40% of exports in 2024 were directed to the European Union, 60% were supplies to the world market, where the main buyers of Ukrainian sugar were MENA (Middle East and North Africa) and North Macedonia.
Harvest volumes of grains and pulses, mln tons
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