In October 2024, Ukraine exported a record volume of goods worth more than $3.8 billion, which is 18.7% more than in September this year, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko said.
“A significant increase in exports in October was made possible by an increase in the supply of agricultural products. In October, exports of agricultural products increased by 32.3% in value and 33.8% in weight. This made it possible to increase the physical volume of exports to 10.9 million tons, which is 26.2% more than in September this year. We owe these achievements to our defenders, who ensure the operation of the sea corridor despite threats from the enemy. In October, exports by sea grew by 28.2% in monetary terms and 37.1% in weight,” the press service of the Ministry of Economy quoted her as saying.
According to Svyrydenko, according to preliminary data, since the beginning of 2024, exports of goods have totaled almost $34.6 billion.
“Given the current dynamics of exports in goods, we can predict with some caution that this year’s exports in monetary terms will exceed last year’s figures. Let me remind you: In 2023, it was $36.2 billion. In terms of physical volumes, we have already exported more in the first 10 months of 2024 than in the whole of last year. This is 110 million tons in total for 10 months of this year, compared to 100 million tons in 2023,” the Minister of Economy explained.
Taras Kachka, Deputy Minister of Economy and Trade Representative of Ukraine, said that in October, Ukraine exported the most sunflower, safflower or cottonseed oil in monetary terms – by $447.2 million, or 481.3 thousand tons, corn – by $447.2 million, or 481.3 thousand tons. tons, corn – by $363.6 million, or 1.9 million tons, respectively, wheat – by $318.2 million, or 1.6 million tons, soybeans – by $260 million, or 675 thousand tons, rapeseed – by $239.2 million, or 476.3 thousand tons, iron ore and concentrates – by $166.8 million, or 2.5 million tons.
Ukrainian producers exported most of their goods to Poland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Italy, and Turkey. Overall, in October, Ukraine exported $2.38 billion worth of goods to the EU, up 15.8% compared to September.
“The European Union is Ukraine’s key trading partner. That is why we are making every effort to provide our exporters with the most favorable conditions for access to European markets and integration of Ukrainian producers into European value chains,” summarized the Ukrainian trade representative.
Americans are voting for their next president in a general election that culminates on Tuesday 5 November.
Once polls close, depending on how close the contest is, it is possible a winner will not be projected for several hours, days or even weeks. Here’s what you need to know.
Democrat Kamala Harris, the current vice-president, and Republican Donald Trump, the former president, have been running neck-and-neck for weeks.
National and swing state polls have tightened as 5 November draws closer, so there could be very narrow margins of victory in several places, which may require votes to be recounted.
It is also possible that some results may come in more slowly this year due to changes in how individual states – including all seven swing states that will ultimately decide the race – have administered their elections since 2020.
On the other hand, vote-counting has been sped up in places like Michigan, and far fewer votes will be cast by mail this time than in the last election, which was held during the Covid pandemic.
This means there are a number of possible outcomes – a winner declared on election night, the next morning or possibly days or weeks later.
The 2020 election took place on Tuesday 3 November, but US TV networks did not declare Joe Biden the winner until late morning on Saturday 7 November.
As Americans went to bed on election night, Trump supporters felt confident victory was near but, in fact, both candidates were within reach of the 270 electoral college votes needed to become president-elect.
Though the vast majority of states called their races within a 24-hour period, a handful of key states – including Pennsylvania and Nevada – did not.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, had however been trending toward the Democrats. On Saturday morning, a fresh batch of ballots counted from the battleground state gave networks the confidence to project that Biden would win there.
CNN was the first to announce the result, with every other TV network following suit over the next 15 minutes.
Generally, voters have become used to the idea that they will know who the next president is going to be by the time they go to bed late on election night or at least in the early morning hours of the next day.
In 2016, for example, when Trump first won the presidency, he was declared the winner shortly before 03:00 EST (08:00 GMT) the day after the election.
In 2012, when Barack Obama secured a second term, his victory was projected before midnight on polling day itself.
But one notable recent exception was the 2000 election between George W Bush and Al Gore.
The two campaigns went to war over a tight contest in Florida, and the race was not decided until 12 December when the US Supreme Court voted to end the state’s recount process, keeping Bush in place as the certified winner and thus handing him the keys to the White House.
Across the country, the first polls will close at 18:00 EST (23:00 GMT) on Tuesday evening and the last polls will close at 01:00 EST (06:00 GMT) early on Wednesday.
But this race is expected to come down to results from the seven swing states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
19:00 EST (00:00 GMT) – Polls close in Georgia and five other states, and partially in two more states. This is also when US TV networks are likely to begin making their first calls of the night, in less competitive states like Kentucky.
19:30 EST (00:30 GMT) – Polls close across three states, including North Carolina, where Harris is hoping to end a string of losses for Democratic presidential candidates since 2008.
20:00 EST (01:00 GMT) – Polls close in Pennsylvania, 15 other states and the District of Columbia, as well as partially in Michigan and four other states.
21:00 EST (02:00 GMT) – All remaining polls close in Michigan. Voting will also end in Arizona, Wisconsin and 12 other states.
22:00 EST (03:00 GMT) – Polls close across Nevada and two other states, and partially in two others.
Typically, the votes cast on election day are tallied first, followed by early and mail ballots, those that have been challenged, and then overseas and military ballots.
Local election officials – sometimes appointed, sometimes elected – verify, process and count individual votes, in a process known as canvassing.
Verifying ballots includes comparing the number cast with the number of active voters; removing, unfolding and examining every single ballot for tears, stains or other damage; and documenting and investigating any inconsistencies.
Counting ballots involves feeding each one into electronic scanners that tabulate their results. Some circumstances require manual counts or double-checked tallies.
Every state and locality has rigorous rules which specify who can participate in the canvass, the order in which votes are processed and which parts are open to the public, including how partisan observers can monitor and intervene in vote-counting.
Tight margins will compel media outlets to wait longer before making their projections, but they also raise the spectre of recounts and legal challenges.
In Pennsylvania, for example, an automatic state-wide recount goes into effect if there’s a half-percentage point difference between the votes cast for the winner and the loser. In 2020, the margin was just over 1.1 percentage points.
More than 100 pre-election lawsuits have already been filed across the country, including challenges to voter eligibility and voter roll management by Republicans. Ongoing court rulings in these cases have been shaping this race by the day.
Other scenarios that could cause delays include any instances of election-related disorder, particularly at polling locations, and obstacles to vote-counting, like the bursting of a water pipe at a ballot processing site in Georgia in 2020.
Once every valid vote has been included in the final results, and after processes such as recounts have been completed, the election results are certified – first in local jurisdictions, then at the state-wide level.
A state executive, typically the governor, then certifies what’s known as a slate of electors that will represent their state in the electoral college. These electors meet in their respective states on 17 December to cast their votes and send them to Washington.
On 6 January, a new US Congress meets in a joint session to count the electoral votes, with the current vice-president presiding.
After the 2020 election, Trump refused to concede and rallied supporters to march on the US Capitol as Congress was meeting to certify Biden’s victory.
He urged his vice-president, Mike Pence, to reject the results – but Pence refused.
Even after the riot was cleared and members of Congress regrouped, 147 Republicans voted unsuccessfully to overturn Trump’s loss.
Electoral reforms since then have made it harder for lawmakers to object to certified results sent to them from individual states, and have also clarified that the vice-president has no power to unilaterally reject electoral votes.
Nevertheless, election watchers expect that efforts to delay certification of the 2024 vote could take place at the local and state level.
Trump, his running mate JD Vance and top Republican leaders on Capitol Hill have refused on several occasions to state unequivocally that they will accept the results of the election if he loses.
The president-elect will begin their term in office after being inaugurated on Monday, 20 January 2025, in the grounds of the US Capitol complex.
It will be the 60th presidential inauguration in US history.
The event will see the new president sworn in on a pledge to uphold the Constitution and then deliver their inaugural address.
Zaporozhkoks, one of Ukraine’s largest coke and chemical producers and part of Metinvest Group, increased its blast furnace coke output by 1.9% year-on-year to 729.1 thousand tons from 715.1 thousand tons in January-October this year.
According to the company, it produced 73.8 thousand tons of coke in October.
As reported, Zaporozhkoks increased its blast furnace coke output by 16% in 2023 compared to 2022, up to 856.8 thousand tons from 737.4 thousand tons.
“Zaporozhkoks produces about 10% of coke in Ukraine and has a full technological cycle of coke products processing. It also produces coke oven gas and pitch coke.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated mining group of companies. Its major shareholders are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage the company.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
In January-October of this year, Zaporizhstal Iron and Steel Works increased its rolled steel output by 21.1% year-on-year to 2 million 1.2 thousand tons from 1 million 652.5 thousand tons.
According to the company, steel production in the period under review increased by 21.05% to 2.418 million tons, and pig iron production by 17% to 2.562 million tons.
In October, Zaporizhstal produced 264.5 thousand tons of iron, 241.3 thousand tons of steel, and shipped 172.2 thousand tons of rolled products.
At the same time, it is recalled that in 2023, the plant operated at an average of 70% of its capacity.
As reported, in 2023, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel output by 57.2% compared to 2022, up to 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, steel by 65.4%, up to 2 million 466.9 thousand tons, and pig iron by 35.3%, up to 2 million 718.9 thousand tons.
“Zaporizhstal is one of the largest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, whose products are in great demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries of the world.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group, whose major shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Holding Group (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
Ukraine’s public debt to GDP ratio from 2009 to 2023 (UAH mln)
Open4Business.com.ua
Italy, as one of the leading economies in the European Union, continues to recover from the pandemic and crisis of recent years. However, the labor market is facing many challenges, such as a demographic decline, an aging population, and pressure from migration flows. In the first half of 2024, the Italian labor market showed mixed results: improvement in some sectors and stagnation in others.
The Experts Club Information and Analytical Center analyzed the main trends in the Italian economy, the situation on the labor market and the situation of Ukrainian citizens staying in Italy.
The minimum wage in Italy is still not set at the national level. The issue of introducing a minimum wage has been discussed in the country for a long time, but at the moment, the terms of remuneration are regulated by collective agreements concluded by trade unions and employers in various industries. On average, the minimum wage under the agreements is about 8-9 euros per hour, which, if you are fully employed, corresponds to about 1,300-1,500 euros per month.
According to Experts Club, salaries in Italy vary by region, qualification, and industry. Let’s take a look at the average salaries in the main sectors of the economy:
Employment trends:
As of the beginning of 2024, there are about 5 million migrants in Italy, which is almost 9% of the total population. The main nationalities among migrants:
At the beginning of 2024, the number of Ukrainian citizens in Italy increased significantly due to the war in Ukraine. As of February 2024, there are more than 254,000 Ukrainians in Italy who are officially registered with temporary protection. However, the actual number of Ukrainians in the country may exceed 1 million, given the constant flow of refugees and migrants, as well as those who have not officially registered.
These migrants are mainly employed in agriculture, construction, and services related to elderly and childcare. Ukrainians, for example, after the outbreak of war in 2022, made up a significant share of home care workers.
According to the Experts Club information and analytical center, one of the main challenges for Italy is the integration of migrants into the economy. Some sectors are facing a shortage of skilled workers, while others are facing the problem of excess labor, especially among young people. In the coming years, the government will continue to implement programs aimed at supporting the integration and training of young professionals, as well as reducing bureaucratic barriers to job creation.
Thus, the labor market in Italy in the first half of 2024 shows both positive and negative trends. The economy needs skilled workers, especially in the technology and healthcare sectors, while the service sector continues to depend on migrants, who play an important role in solving the country’s demographic problems.
