Society
The Rada has backed a bill to protect street stalls, markets and small businesses
The relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada has recommended that parliament include Bill No. 15035 on the agenda and adopt it in principle; the bill aims to strengthen the protection of employment, self-employment and small businesses. The bill proposes to restrict government decisions that could lead to the closure of small retail outlets, the winding up of markets and job losses.
Shares in an AI company whose drone technology is used in Ukraine have soared by 1,000%
Swarmer Inc., an American company that develops AI-based software for coordinating drone swarms and is active in Ukraine, saw its share price rise by around 1,000% within two days of going public. Against the backdrop of this surge, its market capitalisation approached $680 million, although the company’s revenue for the past year amounted to just $309,920.
Cold weather, rain and patchy sleet across Ukraine: the forecast for 19 March and when to expect a change
On Thursday, 19 March, temperatures are expected to drop across almost the whole of Ukraine. There will be rain and sleet in places, but it will soon get warmer.
Unidentified drones spotted over the Rubio and Hegset bases have raised alarm in the US
Unidentified drones have been spotted in the US flying over Fort Leslie J. McNeair, a military base in Washington, D.C., where Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hagset are based. Against the backdrop of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, this incident has heightened concerns regarding the safety of US officials within the country.
The government wants to strip the Armed Forces’ recruitment centres of their military registration functions
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a draft law submitted by the Ministry of Defence, which provides for the removal of the authority to maintain personal military records of citizens from the recruitment centres of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The government explains that the initiative is driven by the need to clarify responsibilities for record-keeping and eliminate duplication of functions.
The Rada wants to assign military cases exclusively to specialist judges
Bill No. 15084 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada, proposing that the adjudication of military criminal offences and crimes against peace, human security and the international legal order be entrusted exclusively to judges with the relevant specialisation. The initiative has emerged against the backdrop of a heavy workload on the judicial system due to the large number of war-related cases.
Ukraine and South Korea are launching a feasibility study for a high-speed rail link from Kyiv to the border
Ukraine and the Republic of Korea have begun preparing a feasibility study for the construction of a high-speed railway between Kyiv and the national border. The project is being funded through a grant from the South Korean government and has a budget of $8 million.
Traffic on bridges and flyovers in Kyiv will be restricted for a few days: list
From 19 to 22 March, traffic will be partially restricted on a number of bridges and flyovers in Kyiv due to repairs to sections of the road surface in poor condition. The work will be carried out in stages, with the most restrictions scheduled for the weekend.
The strike on Zaporizhzhia has left tens of thousands of people without power: one person has been seriously injured
Following the Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia’s infrastructure, over 38,000 domestic customers and around 2,000 business customers were left without power. According to Ivan Fedorov, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration, one person was seriously injured, and power engineers have already restored electricity to most customers.
OnlyFans model loses court case against the tax authorities: must pay 428,000 UAH
The Seventh Administrative Court of Appeal upheld the first-instance ruling in the case of an OnlyFans model who had sought to overturn additional tax assessments issued by the State Tax Service in Chernivtsi Oblast. The court confirmed the assessment of personal income tax, military levy and fines totalling 428,411.52 UAH.
The head of the Solomyanskyi District Court failed to declare a building project near Kyiv for four years
According to the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, Vitaliy Ukraintsev, the head of the Solomyanskyi District Court in Kyiv, failed to declare an unfinished construction project in Stari Bezradychi, Kyiv Oblast, for four years. The Anti-Corruption Centre claims that the judge only included this cottage in his declaration after journalists raised the issue, and that the construction itself could have cost at least $100,000.
The magnetic storm on 19 March is set to intensify to G2 level: what does this mean?
On 19 March, the Earth may be hit by a moderate G2-level magnetic storm. The NOAA explains that this is due to coronal mass ejections released by the Sun on 16 March, and the updated forecast suggests geomagnetic disturbances may also occur on 20–21 March.
