The number of passengers who used buses to travel abroad in 2023 decreased to 7.5 million passengers, compared to 8.5 million in 2022.
Such data Deputy Minister of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Sergiy Derkach made public, opening the forum of the reform of international bus transportation.
According to him, in 2020 only 1.1 million passengers traveled abroad by buses.
“This is a large passenger traffic today for Ukraine. For example, Ukrzaliznytsia carried 2 million passengers last year,” Derkach said.
He emphasized that bus service today, given the lack of air service, has become one of the main for trips from Ukraine abroad.
The average duration of travel by bus in international traffic is 31 hours of which about 7 hours passengers spend waiting at the border.
“This is exactly what the state should change and what you and I should change. That is why today we will present our reform: electronic tools that will primarily help the passenger and carriers,” Derkach said.
According to him, the register of international transportation will soon be available for passengers, in which each passenger will be able to find his route, check the carrier and going to his site to buy a ticket. A carrier’s office is being created for carriers, where they will be able to quickly open new routes without paperwork and bureaucratic procedures.
Deputy Minister expressed hope that the reform of intercity bus transportation will help to increase budget revenues. According to his data, about 25% of carriers operate in the market without paying taxes, and the budget receives up to UAH 500 million annually.
European Council President Charles Michel assures that concrete steps to use the proceeds from frozen Russian assets will be taken very quickly so that the first 1 billion euros will be allocated to Ukraine, including for military aid, as early as July 1 this year.
“We have taken a very important decision by making it possible to postpone unexpected revenues – and this is a proposal from the European Commission – and we are determined to act very quickly so that we can take some of this money to support Ukraine, including the possibility of (supporting) military equipment. This demonstrates that the 27 leaders who were around the table understand the gravity of the situation,” he said Thursday in Brussels at a news conference after the European Council meeting.
Michel is convinced that the necessary steps to make the mechanism work will be taken “very quickly”. “These proposals were presented by the Commission yesterday. There is considerable support in the European Council for this approach,” the European Council president said.
According to Michel, the Belgian presidency confirmed that it too “intends to work with all colleagues very quickly”. “This is really very important because there will be more opportunity to support Ukraine with military equipment, with what is urgently needed,” he emphasized.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in turn, said she was pleased that the leaders had approved the use of emergency revenues from immobilized Russian assets. “This will provide funding to supply Ukraine with military equipment. We can expect to be able to raise €3 billion in 2024 and a similar amount in future years… There is strong support to use the windfall revenues from immobilized assets for military support to Ukraine. I told the leaders that if we act quickly to finalize our proposals, we can disburse 1 billion as early as July 1. The assets are in our hands and if we are quick, there will be concrete actions in the summer,” she explained.
CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL, MILITARY AID, RUSSIAN ASSETS, UKRAINE
PJSC Ukrnafta has bought a special licence from Chernihivnaftohazgeologiya (a subsidiary of state-run NJSC Nadra Ukrayiny), the company’s director, Serhiy Koretskyy, said on Facebook.
According to him, thanks to the new licence, Ukrnafta will receive an increase in total reserves by 1.01bn cu.m. of gas and 100,000 tonnes of oil in 56.5 sq km of areas in north-eastern Ukraine.
Koretskyy also noted that this is the first special permit obtained by Ukrnafta in the last 14 years.
As reported, Ukrnafta in 2023 increased production of oil with condensate by 3% (by 39.9 thousand tonnes) compared to 2022 – to 1 million 409.9 thousand tonnes, gas – by 5.8% (by 60.4 million cubic metres), to 1 billion 97.4 million cubic metres.
The company’s strategic goal is to double its oil and natural gas production to 3 million tonnes and 2 billion cubic metres respectively by 2027.
“Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest oil producer, is the operator of a national network of 537 petrol stations, of which 456 are operational. The Company is implementing a comprehensive programme to restart operations and update the format of its network of petrol stations. Since February 2023, Ukrnafta has been issuing its own fuel coupons and NAFTACard, sold to legal entities and individuals through Ukrnafta-Postach LLC.
Ukrnafta’s largest shareholder is Naftogaz of Ukraine with a 50%+1 share stake. On 5 November 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces decided to transfer to the state a share of the corporate rights of the company owned by private owners, which is now managed by the Ministry of Defence.
Reference UAH/USD exchange rate in the interbank foreign exchange market as of 12:00 on March 22, 2024.
Indicator 21.03.2024 22.03.2024 Change, %
Reference UAH/USD exchange rate (UAH/$) 38.9287 38.7982 -0.34
Data: NBU
The 29th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition has arrived at the Akademik Vernadsky station, the changeover of annual teams has started, the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine reports.
“On the “Akademik Vernadsky” began the reshift of annual expeditions. On the night of March 20-21 (Ukrainian time) our ship “Noosphere” delivered to the station the 29th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition, which should replace colleagues from 28 UAE”, – stated in the message of the press service of the Ministry.
It is noted that in the coming days will continue to unload the icebreaker, in particular polar explorers should transfer to the shore 50 tons of cargo and 140 tons of fuel needed for the next year of wintering.
Also, scientists and specialists of the 28th UAE will hand over cases to the team of the 29th expedition.
Samsung Electronics has announced the global launch of Map mode, which was first introduced at CES 2024. It is now available in all countries where SmartThings is available.
“Map simplifies home management by turning real floor plans into virtual maps in the SmartThings app. Users can view the location of devices and control lighting, temperature, improve air quality, and monitor energy consumption from anywhere, anytime.
The mode makes it easier to manage a large number of devices in your home, so you don’t have to search for each device individually to use it. “The Map displays a floor plan of your entire home and is updated in real time – every time you connect a new device.
The previous version of the Map mode was in 2D format, which only worked for homes that had a floor plan uploaded. However, the updated map takes advantage of the spatial artificial intelligence in Samsung devices, such as the Bespoke Jet Bot™ robot vacuum cleaner, which uses LiDAR1 sensors to scan the home and then turn that data into a plan. Users can now better understand their space with a 3D map.
In addition, the feature that allows users to filter devices by category has been improved to improve monitoring and management. By the end of the year, the company plans to offer more personalized and convenient smart services using AI-powered devices, which were also shown at CES 2024.
The Map mode is available in the SmartThings app on Android and iOS mobile devices2 and on TVs.
The mode was initially launched in Korea and the United States last year. But now it can be used in all countries where the SmartThings app is available.
“Samsung is constantly working to ensure that customers can control their home devices seamlessly from anywhere, anytime, and Map mode is the result of these efforts,” said Seungbeom Choi, head of the Device Platform Center at Samsung Electronics. “We will continue to introduce a variety of relevant services and features so that our customers can enjoy the optimal smart home experience and improve their lives.”
Samsung is currently working with construction companies to expand the scope of the mode to include apartments and office spaces. The company aims to help create smart environments for customers around the world by adding new functionality. These include an optimized user interface (UX) for large screens that helps administrators of B2B Signage screens, as well as a quick control feature that allows users to easily access key functions.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung brings cutting-edge ideas to life and introduces advanced technologies, inspiring people and shaping the future of the consumer market through smartphones, TVs, wearables, tablets, home appliances, medical devices, networking systems, memory solutions, semiconductors, foundries, and LED solutions.
