Bus operator FlixBus has started selling tickets via the state-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv), the press service of PrivatBank said on Tuesday.
According to the press release, tickets, in particular, can be bought using the Privat24 mobile app and the Privat24 web interface, as well as at the bank’s cash desks and via self-service terminals. At the same time, using the bank’s ticket services, you can book any FlixBus ticket to 34 European countries, as well as Turkey and the United States.
After payment, the customer will receive an online ticket to the passenger’s email, which will also be available in the Privat24 app, as indicated in the message.
The bank said that the PrivatBank bus ticket sales service was launched in 2010, currently tickets can be bought via 13,000 terminals or at one of the bank’s 2,500 offices throughout Ukraine.
According to PrivatBank, more than 460,000 people have already used the service since April 2017.
FlixBus, that offers bus transportation in Europe and the U.S., was founded in 2013. It works on a partnership model with regional bus carriers who provide their buses and route documents, while FlixBus deals with sales, marketing and schedule management.
TAS Insurance Group (Kyiv) collected UAH 162.06 million in premiums in November, which is 11.7% more than the company’s receipts in November last year, according to the insurer’s website.
The press release notes that 35.19% of premiums fall on OSAGO – UAH 57.03 million of premiums, which is 7.3% more than in November 2019. Under KASKO agreements, UAH 47.88 million of premiums were attracted, which is 29.54% of the total income of the insurer and is 30.4% more than the corresponding figure for November 2019.
The share of Green Card in the company’s portfolio in November of this year amounted to 13.09%: on such policies UAH 21.21 million of premiums were attracted during the month.
In November, the company paid UAH 84.34 million of compensation under concluded insurance contracts, which is 26.1% more than the amount paid by the insurer for the same period a year earlier.
Under OSAGO policies, UAH 32.27 million was reimbursed during the month, which is 38.27% of the company’s total payments for the month and is 19.2% more than the corresponding figure for November 2019.
The second place in the portfolio of payments with a share of 29.03% at the end of the month is taken by KASKO: under land transport insurance contracts, UAH 24.48 million was reimbursed (more by 41%).
The mobile operator Kyivstar is starting to implement VoLTE (voice-over-LTE) technology in its 4G network, which will allow subscribers to make ordinary phone calls through a high-speed mobile Internet.
As noted in the operator’s statement on Tuesday, this technology will work throughout the country by the end of 2020, where the operator’s 4G network is provided.
At first, VoLTE will be available for contract subscribers who actively use most of Kyivstar’s services. And during 2021, the technology will become available to prepaid subscribers.
“In less than three years, 85% of Ukrainians gained access to 4G. In terms of construction rates, Kyivstar is ahead of even the countries of the European Union, which took an average of five years to get the same result. This is a great achievement of the company, which gives us the opportunity introduce new technologies, such as VoLTE. Due to this technology, not only residents of large cities, but also villages, will receive the best quality of voice communication. After all, it will work in a modern 4G network,” President of Kyivstar Oleksandr Komarov said.
The operator said that due to voice transmission via 4G, subscribers will receive better sound quality during calls, and the connection between them will be faster, since the smartphone will not switch between different standards.
The launch of the new technology throughout the country, where 4G from Kyivstar works, will be completed in December 2020.
“The next stage is that the ability to use this technology on subscribers’ smartphones, depends on the device manufacturers. After all, the peculiarity of VoLTE is that smartphone manufacturers separately activate this technology in the network of each mobile operator. For this, Kyivstar is actively negotiating with the most popular brands in Ukraine,” the company said.
According to the operator, such models of Apple smartphones have already been activated: iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max, iPhone XR and XS MAX, iPhone SE, and during 2021 smartphone manufacturers will activate VoLTE on other popular models that support this technology.
An agreement on political cooperation, free trade and strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may commence on January 1, Deputy Minister of Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture, Trade Representative of Ukraine Taras Kachka said.
“The agreement on political cooperation, free trade and strategic partnership between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has been ratified. The British Parliament has already completed its procedure. So we are working ‘at full steam’ so that the agreement will commence from January 1,” Kachka wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
According to him, the agreement provides for the abolition of duties on industrial products, with the exception of fertilizers, electronics and cars.
“Small exceptions regarding fertilizers, electronics and cars may (but not necessarily will) be subject to a duty of no more than 1-2% over the next two years. And from 2023 there will be no duties on industrial products at all,” the trade representative said.
According to him, Brexit will also allow more flexibility in the anti-dumping and protective measures applied to Ukraine now. This applies to metallurgical products, hot-rolled products, sheet products and rods.
At the same time, all agricultural goods that are not subject to tariff quotas are exempt from duties, the trade representative said.
The Verkhovna Rada has ratified the protocol with amendments to the convention with Austria for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income and property.
The Ministry of Finance said on its website the protocol provides for an increase in the general tax rate of dividends from 10% to 15% and interest from 2% to 5%.
“Increased were also the rates of royalties paid for the use of any copyright on scientific work, patent, etc. from 0% to 5%, for the use of copyright on literary works or works of art from 5% to 10%,” the Ministry of Finance said.
In addition to the increase in rates, it is envisaged to supplement the convention with new articles on limiting the possibility of applying the preferential provisions of the convention, if the main purpose is to obtain such benefits, and on expanding the ability of the competent authorities of Austria and Ukraine to exchange tax information.
“These changes and rates correspond to the general practice of Ukraine’s conclusion of such agreements and protocols to them with other countries of the world – similar rates are contained in most of the conventions and protocols to them, concluded by our state,” the ministry explained.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 16/12/20
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
