KYIV. Dec 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Ukrainian government and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on December 4 signed an agreement on the second development policy loan worth JPY 36.969 billion or around $300 million, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent has reported.
“The loan aims at increasing efficiency and transparency of the public sector, deregulation and improvement of conditions for doing business,” Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko said after signing the agreement.
Japan representatives said that one of the elements of the loan is the reform of inefficient utilities subsidies. They said that technical assistance to new agencies to fight corruption will be additionally provided.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk said that the loan is issued for 20 years with the grace period of six years and JPY LIBOR + 0.5%, and today it is less than 1% per annum.
Japan in August 2014 provided the first development policy loan of $100 million.
KYIV. Dec 7 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine has met representatives of U.S. Uber Technologies Inc., the designer of the popular taxi application to order taxi, Deputy Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Omelian wrote on his Facebook page.
“Jointly with Roman Khmil [director of the road market and transportation strategic development department in the ministry] we met Uber [representatives]. Businesslike talks and complete understanding. The question “Do you need a limo or a lift?” will not be a live issue anymore. Soon,” Omelian said.
As reported, in July 2015, Uber Technologies Inc. was looking for a manger for the Ukrainian market.
Uber is headquartered in San Francisco and is present in over 300 cities worldwide.
Uber received financing from Chinese investors, including managing company Hillhouse Capital Group, before an initial public coffering (IPO).
KYIV. Dec 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The profit of state enterprise of postal services Ukrposhta in January-October 2015 amounted to UAH 29.5 million, which is twice higher than in 2014, according to a press release from the company.
Total income for the period increased by 10.5% and amounted to UAH 3.552 billion.
The press service notes that revenues from international shipments were up by 25%. Revenues from housing utilities and other services payments increased by 25% as well.
The total amount of taxes and fees the company paid to the national budget exceeded UAH 1 billion, increasing by 1.3% compared to the same period last year.
Ukrposhta is a national postal operator according to the order of the Cabinet of Ministers dated January 10, 2002. It is managed by the Infrastructure Ministry of Ukraine.
KYIV. Dec 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Pig Breeders of Ukraine association predicts that pork production in 2016 will remain at a level of 740,000 tonnes amidst the falling demand for this product in the domestic market.
“Production next year will be approximately such as in the current year. According to our estimates, it is 740,000 tonnes,” president of the association Artur Loza said at a press conference in Kyiv.
He noted a very low demand for these products. The drop in demand over 2015 is expected to reach 13% in comparison with 2014.
“Now we see the minimum demand. The price continues falling,” the expert added.
According to him, purchase prices for pork (live weight) are UAH 26.5-27.5 per kg, while the cost of production is estimated at UAH 25-27 per kg.
Loza added that this year Ukraine has exported the record high volume of pork, of which 33,000 were supplied abroad and 18,000 tonnes to Crimea.
According to the expert, if Russian food sanctions against Ukraine enter into force, pork exports in 2016 will be minimal at around 10,000 tonnes, which will be delivered to Georgia, Kazakhstan, possibly to China.
KYIV. Dec 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Banks participating in the state program to partially compensate the cost of credits taken for the modernization of heating and energy efficiency measures in the housing sector of Ukraine will be able to issue UAH 8 billion in such loans in 2016, Head of the State Agency on Energy Efficiency and Energy Saving of Ukraine Serhiy Savchuk has said.
“I think that given the pace we are moving with, considering the market potential that exists today, next year we will be able to issue UAH 8 billion in loans for energy efficiency,” he said at a press conference on the results of the government’s work and the prospects of development in the field of energy efficiency and renewable energy in Kyiv.
Savchuk also noted that most loans for thermal modernization and housing energy efficiency to the population under the relevant state program since the beginning of 2014 have been issued in Lviv region.
“Lviv region is in the first place because it at once joined our program. Out of more than UAH 1 billion of loans granted throughout the country some UAH 120 million was issued in loans in small Lviv region,” he said.
KYIV. Dec 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A Vega light rocket with the Ukrainian engine carrying the European Space Agency’s Lisa Pathfinder was successfully placed into orbit LISA Pathfinder satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The press service of the State Space Agency of Ukraine reported that the Vega rocket lifted away from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana (South America) at 06:04 Kyiv time.
“The launch was the sixth under the Vega program and the third in 2015,” the press service said.
Vega rocket was designed by the ESA jointly with the Italian Space Agency (ASI). Vega was designed to carry up to 1,500 kilograms of payloads to a 700-kilometer circular polar orbit or up to 1,200 kilograms of payloads to a 1,200-kilometer heliosynchronous orbit. The cruise engine for the fourth stage of the rocket RD-868P was designed by Pivdenne Design Bureau and it was made by Pivdenmash state enterprise (both based in Dnipropetrovsk). The test launch of the Vega carrier was success in February 2012, and since May 2013 the ESA started commercial exploitation of the new rocket.
The Ukrainian government and the ESA signed an agreement of cooperation in the peaceful development of outer space in 2008. The ESA unites 17 European countries.
LISA Pathfinder satellite is to test technologies required for the launch of the evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (eLISA) in 2034 that will detect gravitational waves.
