In Ukraine on Wednesday, May 27, there will be scattered showers overnight in the northern regions and widespread showers during the day; thunderstorms are expected in the central and southern regions and in the Carpathian foothills, according to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center.
Winds will be westerly and northwesterly, 7-12 m/s, with gusts of 15-20 m/s during the day across Ukraine.
Temperatures will range from 11-16°C at night and 18-23°C during the day, with highs of 23-28°C in Zakarpattia and the south of the country.
In Kyiv, no precipitation is expected on Wednesday night, with brief showers during the day. Winds will be northwesterly, 7-12 m/s, with gusts of 15-20 m/s during the day. Nighttime temperatures will range from 14-16°, and daytime temperatures from 21-23°.
According to data from the Boris Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory in Kyiv, on May 27, the highest daytime temperature was 33.6° in 2007, and the lowest nighttime temperature was 1.7° in 1904.
On Thursday, May 28, light, brief showers and thunderstorms are expected at night in the south, east of the country, and in the Carpathians, and during the day across Ukraine, except for the southern regions and Zakarpattia.
The wind will be northwesterly, 7–12 m/s, with gusts of 15–20 m/s in some areas during the day in most regions.
Temperatures will range from 7–12° at night to 13–18° during the day; in Zakarpattia and the south of the country, temperatures will range from 11–16° at night to 18–23° during the day.
In Kyiv on Thursday, no precipitation at night, with light, brief showers during the day. Wind from the northwest, 7-12 m/s. Nighttime temperatures 10-12°, daytime 15-17°.
In Germany, the debate over raising the retirement age has intensified again amid an aging population, a labor shortage, and growing pressure on the state pension system. According to German media reports, an expert commission established by the federal government may discuss a scenario involving a gradual increase in the retirement age to 70.
A gradual increase in the retirement age is already underway in Germany. Under a previously adopted reform, the standard retirement age for people born in 1964 and later is set to be 67. This transition is being implemented in phases and is expected to be completed by 2029–2031.
The new debate stems from the fact that current measures may prove insufficient. Germany’s pension system operates on a pay-as-you-go basis: current contributions from workers fund payments to current retirees. As the population ages and the workforce shrinks, the burden on the budget and working citizens is growing.
The Bundesbank previously warned that the government’s current proposals do not fully address the pension problem. Among possible measures, the German central bank cited linking the retirement age to life expectancy and tightening restrictions on early retirement.
For the German economy, the issue of pensions is becoming one of the key structural challenges. Reuters previously reported that by 2030, the country’s workforce could shrink by 6.3 million people compared to 2010 levels, which would put pressure on economic growth and the ratio of workers to retirees.
However, raising the retirement age to 70 remains a highly sensitive political issue. Labor unions and some politicians point out that not all professions allow people to work until that age, especially when it comes to manual labor, industry, medicine, caregiving, transportation, and construction. Critics also warn that a formal increase in the retirement age could lead to a rise in hidden poverty among the elderly if they are unable to continue working but are forced to retire early with reduced benefits.
Supporters of the reform believe that without extending working life, Germany risks facing growing pension deficits, increased budgetary subsidies, and a greater burden on younger generations. In their view, the country needs not only tax incentives for later retirement but also a profound restructuring of the labor market for older workers.
For the labor market, this means that pension reform cannot be limited to simply changing the retirement age. Germany will have to develop retraining programs, flexible employment, part-time work for older workers, measures to prevent occupational burnout, and the adaptation of workplaces to the age of employees.
The cost of housing in new developments in Italy has fallen for the first time in eight years, while the secondary market has continued to grow. This indicates a polarization of the Italian real estate market: buyer demand remains strong, but new properties are becoming more sensitive to construction costs, mortgage conditions, and regional differences.
According to Global Property Guide, citing statistics from the European Central Bank, prices for new housing in Italy fell by 1.16% year-over-year, or by 2.29% when adjusted for inflation. This marked the first annual decline in prices for new-build properties in eight years. At the same time, prices for existing homes rose by 5.15% year-over-year, or by 3.95% in real terms.
This gap indicates that the market is responding to different factors. The secondary housing market is supported by limited supply, demand in major cities, and buyer interest in completed properties. New-build properties, on the other hand, are more heavily influenced by construction costs, completion dates, mortgage rates, and buyers’ purchasing power.
According to idealista, in April 2026, the average price of existing housing in Italy rose by 0.8% month-over-month, reaching €1,906 per square meter. On an annual basis, growth was 5%, and 2.7% for the quarter. This confirms that the decline in the new-construction segment does not signify a general downturn in the entire Italian real estate market.
The situation also reflects a structural problem in the Italian market: the supply of new housing remains limited, while demand is concentrated in the strongest locations—Milan, Rome, tourist regions, and cities with a high quality of life.
For buyers, falling prices for new-build properties may open a window of opportunity, especially in regions where developers are willing to make concessions. However, in Italy’s most sought-after cities, housing affordability remains a challenge. The Guardian noted that in Milan, real estate prices have risen by 38% over five years, and the city is becoming a magnet for wealthy foreigners thanks to tax incentives and quality of life.
For foreign buyers, the Italian market remains attractive thanks to a combination of quality of life, tourism potential, tax regimes for new residents, and a wide selection of properties—from city apartments to homes in small towns.
However, the new-construction segment is becoming more heterogeneous: in some regions, prices may fall due to weak demand, while in others, they remain high due to a shortage of modern properties.
The IMK agricultural holding has completed its 2025 spring planting campaign: the planted area totaled 89,200 hectares, compared to 89,900 hectares last year.
As stated in the company’s press release on Tuesday, 25,200 hectares of sunflowers and 64,000 hectares of corn were planted, compared to 24,800 hectares of sunflowers and 65,100 hectares of corn last year.
According to IMC’s Chief Operating Officer Bohdan Kryvitsky, this spring was unusually cold—with prolonged frosts lasting practically until May.
“We even had to temporarily suspend corn planting while waiting for more favorable temperature conditions. An additional challenge was the unstable performance of GPS navigation. At the same time, the team was well-prepared to work under such conditions—using physical and foam markers, cameras, and track cutting to maintain the planned output of the equipment, which at the peak of the planting season reached up to 4,500 hectares per shift,” he noted.
The agricultural holding announced the start of the spring planting season on April 16 and plans to plant a total area of 90,700 hectares, which is 800 hectares more than last year’s actual figure, with plans to plant 24,900 hectares of sunflowers and 64,800 hectares of corn.
IMK Agroholding is an integrated group of companies operating in the Sumy, Poltava, and Chernihiv regions (northern and central Ukraine) in the crop production, grain elevators, and warehousing segments. Land bank: 115,000 hectares; storage capacity: 554,000 tons; 2024 harvest: 864,000 tons.
IMK’s net profit for 2025 increased by 24% to $67.5 million, while consolidated revenue decreased by 10% to $190.4 million.
Prospective master’s and doctoral students who did not manage to register for the entrance exams will have the opportunity to do so during the second registration period—from May 26 to 28, according to the Ukrainian Center for Educational Quality Assessment (UCEQA).
“Registration for those wishing to take the EIT/EFV/EV is conducted by the admissions committees of higher education institutions in person (provided the applicant is physically present) and/or remotely. If submitting documents remotely, prospective master’s and doctoral students must email scanned copies of their registration documents to the admissions committee and complete an application form, providing the information necessary to generate an exam sheet,” the UCEQA statement reads.
It is noted that for registered applicants, an information page titled “Entrance Exam Participant’s Account” will be created on the Ukrainian Center’s website, and access to it will be granted using the exam sheet number and the PIN code indicated therein.
“We advise future master’s and doctoral students not to wait until the last minute to register,” the agency emphasized.
As previously reported, the main registration period for participation in the UEE/UPE ran from April 23 through May 14.
The Unified Entrance Exam (UEE) and the Unified Professional Entrance Exam (UPEE) for master’s programs will be held abroad in 22 cities across 10 countries.
The U.S. dollar is rising modestly against the euro, the pound sterling, and the yen on Tuesday morning amid increased demand for safe-haven assets.
The ICE DXY index, which tracks the dollar’s performance against six currencies (the euro, Swiss franc, yen, Canadian dollar, pound sterling, and Swedish krona), is up 0.1%, while the broader WSJ Dollar Index is up 0.09%.
The U.S. military struck two boats belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an anti-aircraft missile system position in Bandar Abbas in southern Iran, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin reported.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that negotiations with Iran in Qatar are ongoing, though finalizing the wording of the agreement between Washington and Tehran could take several days.
Meanwhile, European Central Bank (ECB) Executive Board member Isabel Schnabel said in an interview with Reuters that the regulator will likely have to raise key interest rates in June, even if the U.S. and Iran manage to sign a peace agreement by then.
“Given the scale and duration of the shock we are seeing, it can no longer be ignored,” she said. “Based on the information available at this time, I believe a rate hike will be necessary in June.”
French Central Bank Governor François Villeroy de Galhau, who will step down at the end of May, told Le Figaro in an interview that the regulator will not hesitate to take measures to curb inflation and bring it back to the 2% target.
As of 9:19 a.m., the euro/dollar pair is trading at $1.1631, compared to $1.1643 at the close of the previous session; the single European currency is down about 0.1%.
The pound fell 0.2% against the dollar to $1.3474, compared to $1.3505 at the close of trading on Monday.
The U.S. dollar rose 0.1% against the yen to 159.06 yen, compared to 158.91 yen at the close of the previous session.
The dollar is stable against the offshore yuan at 6.7875 yuan.
