According to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC), agricultural exports from Ukraine totaled 5.0 million tons in February 2026, which is 0.3% higher than the previous month.
“This is the fourth month in a row that agricultural exports have remained at 5.0 million tons with minimal deviations. The main product currently being exported is corn,” analysts said.
In the export structure for February, grain crops accounted for the largest share—3.4 million tons, which is 1% more than in January. In this segment, corn accounted for 81% of supplies, and wheat—19%. At the same time, exports of oilseeds decreased by 14% to 303.5 thousand tons (soybeans — 72%, rapeseed — 25%, sunflower — 2%).
Supplies of vegetable oils to foreign markets in February fell by 9% and amounted to 437.7 thousand tons. In this category, sunflower oil accounts for 83%, rapeseed oil for 10%, and soybean oil for 7%. On the other hand, exports of oilcake after the extraction of vegetable oils increased by 14% to 470.4 thousand tons, with sunflower oil accounting for 75% and soybean oil for 25%. Exports of other types of agricultural products increased by 3% to 359.7 thousand tons.
Thailand’s residential real estate market ended 2025 with a decline in the number of transactions and their value, but demand from foreigners for condominiums remained stable and partially offset the weakness of domestic buyers.
According to the Real Estate Information Center (REIC), in 2025, 316,214 transactions for the transfer of ownership of housing were registered in the country, which is 9.1% less than a year earlier, and the total value decreased by 11.8% to 864.913 billion baht.
In the fourth quarter, the authorities implemented short-term stimulus measures, reducing registration fees and easing LTV parameters for mortgages, which supported transactions at the end of the year.
REIC reports that in the fourth quarter of 2025, foreigners made 3,888 condominium purchases (year-on-year growth), and 14,899 units for the year, which is 2.2% more than in 2024. At the same time, the value of such transactions decreased by 10.7% over the year to 60.921 billion baht, indicating a shift in demand to a more affordable segment.
China remained the largest group of buyers, but its figures declined: REIC indicates that in 2025, Chinese citizens completed 4,940 transactions (about 33% of the total number of foreign transactions), while the value of these transactions decreased more significantly.
REIC published the most detailed breakdown by nationality for specific periods of 2025. According to REIC, in the first four months of 2025 (January-April), the top 10 countries by number of condominium purchases were as follows: China – 1,728, Myanmar – 566, Russia – 365, Taiwan – 225, France – 205, USA – 185, UK – 175, Germany – 144, Singapore – 103, Australia – 76.
In terms of transaction value for the same period, the top ten were: China – 7,097 million baht, Myanmar – 1,850 million, Russia – 1,246 million, Taiwan – 1,045 million, followed by the US, UK, France, Singapore, India, and Germany.
At the end of the first half of 2025, REIC reported a high concentration of transactions in Bangkok and Chonburi (more than 80%), with China, Myanmar, and Russia remaining among the leaders in terms of the number of purchases.
Separately, REIC noted the growing role of Russians and Taiwanese in the demand structure, while Ukrainian buyers did not make it into the top 10 in the REIC tables published for 2025. However, experts rank Ukrainian citizens among the top 20 most active buyers of Thai real estate.
REIC expects a scenario of “stability” for 2026 – transaction indicators may remain close to the 2025 level, without significant growth.
http://relocation.com.ua/thailands-housing-market-in-2025-supported-by-foreigners/
PJSC Zaporizhkox, one of Ukraine’s largest producers of coke and chemical products and a member of the Metinvest Group, reduced its blast furnace coke production by 4.7% in January-February this year compared to the same period last year, from 135,600 tons to 129,200 tons.
According to the company, 69.5 thousand tons of coke were produced in February, compared to 61.2 thousand tons in February 2025 and 59.7 thousand tons in January of this year.
As reported, Zaporizhkox increased its output by 2.7% in 2025 compared to 2024, to 898,300 tons from 874,700 tons.
In 2024, Zaporizhkox increased its production of blast furnace coke by 2.1% compared to 2023, to 874.7 thousand tons from 856.8 thousand tons.
In 2023, Zaporizhkox increased its blast furnace coke output by 16% compared to 2022, to 856.8 thousand tons from 737.4 thousand tons.
Zaporizhkox has a full technological cycle for processing coke chemical products.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its main shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
One of the most telling factors in the annual dynamics of complaints against insurers received by the National Bank of Ukraine in 2025 was a significant decrease in the percentage of actual violations of the law among the total number of complaints (17.9% versus 30% in 2024).
“This indicates that the lion’s share of complaints is due not to unlawful actions by insurers, but to communication problems,” concluded experts from the Insurance Business Association (IBA), based on the NBU’s report on handling complaints from financial services consumers in 2025.
According to the ASB press release, consumers often do not fully understand the terms of the contract due to the complexity of the wording or insufficient explanation from insurers when concluding the agreement. Formalities in settlement and poor explanations of payment calculation algorithms (e.g., depreciation accounting, according to the law) create a false impression of a violation of rights, even though the insurer is acting within the law.
In addition, according to the report, in 2025, the NBU processed a total of 28,440 thousand written appeals, of which 1,473 thousand were related to the activities of insurers. Among the key issues that concerned customers were non-payment of insurance compensation (716 complaints) and incomplete payment (508 complaints).
“The analysis of the data indicates the stability of the insurance sector and a significant improvement in the quality of insurance claims settlement, despite the challenges of wartime,” the ASB emphasizes.
According to the association’s CEO, Vyacheslav Chernyakhovsky, the 2025 figures demonstrate the phenomenal ability of Ukrainian insurance to raise customer service standards even during wartime. Considering that insurance companies (excluding health insurance payments) made more than 540,000 payments during the year, the complaint rate was 0.25%.
“This is significantly better than in the markets of the world’s leading countries, where this indicator is usually 0.5-1%. Year after year, insurers confirm their status as the most customer-oriented segment of the financial market,” he emphasized.
According to Chernyakhovsky, particularly noticeable progress has been made in the field of compulsory civil liability insurance for owners of land vehicles (OSCPV). Thanks to the introduction in 2025 of a new law that replaced controversial “expertise” payments with direct compensation through repair work at service stations, the number of complaints has decreased significantly. With 150,900 payments made under CMTPL, the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine received only 478 complaints, compared to 740 in 2024.
On February 25, the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, together with the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation (MASHAV), handed over more than 100 backup power supply and energy independence systems to the Kyiv Regional State Administration.
According to the embassy’s press service, the handover ceremony was attended by the head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, Mykola Kalashnyk, and the deputy head of the mission of the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ukraine, Mila Tsur.
“Hospitals must operate continuously. Schools and shelters must remain safe. Families must be able to stay in touch. Electricity is the foundation that allows communities to survive and recover,” Tsur emphasized.
Kalashnik thanked Israel for its support and assistance, noting that the portable power systems provided will help ensure the continuous operation of social institutions and support the residents of the Kyiv region in the event of power outages.
According to the embassy, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar had a phone chat with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga about giving humanitarian aid to the Kyiv region because of the tough energy situation.
The statement also notes that on February 24, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution entitled “Supporting sustainable peace in Ukraine,” initiated by Ukraine within the framework of the 11th Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly, and the State of Israel, among 107 other countries, voted in support of Ukraine.
The increase in myopia (nearsightedness) is largely related not to “screens as such,” but to a combination of prolonged work at close range and insufficient lighting in the room, according to a hypothesis by researchers at SUNY College of Optometry, presented in a press release accompanying a publication in Cell Reports.
The authors link the possible mechanism to the fact that when focusing on close objects, the pupil can constrict not only from bright light, but also as part of accommodation—to increase clarity. In dim lighting conditions, this can significantly reduce the illumination of the retina, which, according to the researchers, may be a common “link” for myopia risk factors and for some approaches to its control, including time spent outdoors. At the same time, the authors themselves emphasize that this is a testable hypothesis and further research is needed.
The problem of myopia is seen as a long-term global trend: one of the most cited forecasts (a meta-analysis in Ophthalmology) predicts that by 2050, myopia could affect about half of the world’s population, with high myopia affecting about 10%.
To date, the evidence base generally supports the role of “lifestyle”: more time spent outdoors is statistically associated with a lower risk of developing myopia and slower eyeball elongation in children, and one of the biological pathways under discussion is light-stimulated dopamine release in the retina, which may inhibit axial elongation of the eye. In practical terms, ophthalmologists usually advise reading and studying in sufficient general lighting, taking regular breaks when working at close range, and spending more time in daylight; if you have complaints or your vision deteriorates rapidly, it is recommended that you have your eyes checked by a specialist.
Myopia
