Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Marseille tops list of Europe’s most dangerous cities – ranking

In Numbeo’s European sample (Europe: Current Crime Index by City), the highest Crime Index is recorded in Marseille (France) – 66.7. It is followed by Birmingham (UK) – 63.8, Grenoble (France) – 62.6, Naples (Italy) – 62.3, and Coventry (UK) – 61.7.

At the bottom of the European list, i.e., among the most peaceful cities according to the ranking, are The Hague (Netherlands) – 19.9, Tampere (Finland) – 20.4, Eindhoven (Netherlands) – 20.9, as well as Trondheim (Norway) and Utrecht (Netherlands) – 21.0 each.

Numbeo publishes crime/safety indices based on user surveys. The current version is continuously updated and is based on data from the last five years. The project has been running since 2009 and is widely cited in the media and city comparison services, but the indicators reflect subjective perceptions of safety and are not a substitute for official statistics.

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Aluminum prices rose to their highest level since April 2022

Aluminum prices rose to their highest level since April 2022 during trading on Tuesday.

Aluminum on the LME rose 0.8% to $3,111 per ton. Prices for other metals also rose: zinc added 1.5% and reached $3,241.5 per ton.

Aluminum is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum are its lightness, malleability, corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and the non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the manufacture of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry, and for packaging. The first three properties have made aluminum the main raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (recently, it has been replaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber). After construction and the production of packaging—aluminum cans and foil—the largest consumer of metal is the energy industry.

Nickel rose to 15-month high on news from Indonesia

The price of nickel rose to a 15-month high amid reports that Indonesia is tightening control over metal production volumes.

The price of nickel for delivery in three months rose 6.1% during trading on Tuesday to $18,045 per ton, the highest since October 7, 2024.
“Indonesia’s tightening of production controls through a slower quota approval process and planned quota reductions in 2026 is a fairly effective factor in price growth,” said ING analyst Eva Manti.

She notes, however, that the increase in nickel prices is unlikely to be sustainable, as the market is still expected to see a significant supply surplus in 2026.

The day before, Indonesian publication Bisnis.com reported that the country’s authorities had allowed mining companies to temporarily focus on previously approved metal production quotas for 2026 while new quotas are under consideration.
Nickel is used in the production of stainless steel and for nickel plating. Nickel is also used in the manufacture of batteries, in powder metallurgy, and in chemical reagents.

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Copper prices hit new record high on Tuesday

Copper prices hit a new record high on Tuesday amid signs of limited supply and growing demand linked to electrification and investment in data centers.

The price of copper futures for delivery in three months on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose 3.1% during trading to $13,387.5 per ton. Since the beginning of 2026, the price of copper has risen 6.6%, exceeding $13,000 per tonne for the first time on Monday.

“The rise in copper prices above $13,000 per ton is due to the growing imbalance between structural supply constraints and accelerated demand growth amid electrification and investment in data centers,” notes ING analyst Eva Manti. “Years of underinvestment and prolonged problems at mines have left the market with virtually no room for maneuver.”

The strike at Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde gold-copper mine in northern Chile, which began last week, has heightened concerns about a shortage of copper supply in the global market this year.

Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, pipe manufacturing, alloy production, medicine, and other industries.

Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video dedicated to global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa

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Ranking of the world’s most dangerous cities has been published, with Odessa and Dnipro in second hundred

Several Ukrainian cities are represented in the current Numbeo Crime Index ranking. Odesa has the highest score among them (55.2), followed by Dnipro (53.7), Kharkiv (47.2), Kyiv (45.5), and Lviv (37.2).

In Numbeo’s global list, these cities are ranked as follows: Odesa – 160th, Dnipro – 177th, Kharkiv – 233rd, Kyiv – 247th, and Lviv – 320th.

The bottom of the current global ranking is occupied by Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) – 82.8 and Pretoria (South Africa) – 81.8, while Abu Dhabi (UAE) – 11.0 is listed as the safest city in the table. In Europe, Marseille has the highest Crime Index (66.7) and The Hague has the lowest (19.9).

Numbeo was launched in April 2009. The Crime Index is based on user surveys and reflects a subjective assessment of safety rather than statistics on reported crimes. The current rating is continuously updated and is based on data from the last five years, so the results should be interpreted as an indicator of perception and used in conjunction with official sources.

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Ukrainian athletes have already received 20 licenses for 2026 Winter Olympics

Ukrainian athletes have already received 20 licenses in five sports for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), according to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC).

“Exactly one month until the start of the main event of the quadrennium! At the moment, Ukrainian athletes have won 20 licenses in five sports (biathlon — 10, cross-country skiing — 5, alpine skiing — 2, short track — 2, figure skating — 1),” the NOC said in a statement.

It is noted that there are still 12 days left until the end of the qualification period — until January 18.

As reported, at the 2026 Winter Olympics (February 6-22) in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), athletes will compete for 195 medals in 16 Olympic sports.

The president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine, Vadym Guttsait, expects Ukraine to perform successfully at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), as it did at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (France). Ukraine won 12 medals and ranked 22nd in the medal count at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Ukraine supports the proposal of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to establish a truce during the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Minister of Youth and Sports Matvey Bedny expects the “necessary minimum” number of licenses for Ukrainian athletes to participate in the 2026 Olympics in Italy, and also says that there is hope for success in freestyle skiing and biathlon.

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