Innholdsfortegnelse for 11/19/2021 i Newsweek International

1977 Newsweek said of Steven Spielberg’s movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, “It’s the first true populist science-fiction film, a blend of the most startling, far-out special effects with the most ordinary human material of the American Heartland. If there really are alien beings buzzing us hesitantly in their interstellar whizbangs, Close Encounters may finally persuade them to come down and rest a spell.” The bright lights in the film have become synonymous with alien ships and on the film’s 30th anniversary in 2007, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry. 1993 “Instead of celebrating, much of America’s black privileged class claims to be in excruciating pain,” said Newsweek Contributing Editor Ellis Cose in his examination of why many successful Black Americans felt…

Metallurgy contributed with 12% to GDP in 2018, and is a major source of export earnings. Ukraine ranks fourth in the world and second in Europe in net steel exports in 2020, leveraging its location, natural resources, and highly-skilled but relatively affordable industry labour pool. Not only the biggest company in the sector, but Ukraine’s largest privately-owned business, Metinvest is leading the way in the development of steel and mining in its home market and internationally. With a long-standing reputation for delivering solutions tailored for the needs of its global customers, the company’s redoubled drive for operational efficiency goes hand-in-hand with both its ongoing M&A strategy and multibillion investments in environmental projects, providing a model of best practice for the industry as a whole. “We export 70-80% of our output,…

Restored economic momentum and growing confidence in Ukraine’s stability and long-term outlook are likely to intensify interest in the country’s strong pharmaceutical sector. The industry capitalises on a long history of scientific research and pharmaceutical manufacturing, access to a range of markets ranging from affluent European countries to fast-growing Asian economies, and the expertise of its labour pool. The sector was growing at more than 10% a year even before the covid crisis, according to official figures. At the cutting edge of the nexus between scientific innovation and commercial skill is InterChem. Founded in 1992, the year Ukraine regained independence, the company was established by young scientists working in the world-renowned laboratories of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, and grew from that institution’s pilot plant. In less than thirty years,…

Ukraine’s economy is bouncing back, with GDP growth expected to rise by eight percentage point this year, and demand for energy and raw materials is rising in lockstep. In the bitumen market, for example, grew by 24% y-o-y to reach a balance of 190,000 tons in August 2021, while fuel and oil imports rose by 34.2% y-o-y between January and June 2021. Alliance Energo Trade, a leading domestic bitumen and fuel trader, sees a bright future for its business. Founded in 2008, Alliance Energo Trade is a supplier of bitumen, diesel, LPG, aviation fuel, gasoline to agricultural holdings, factories, and transport and construction companies in Ukraine. The company has risen to become a major player in the Ukrainian market because of a strong team spirit and synergy, led by its…

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL “A day without a friend or a martini is incomprehensible to me.” —NOVELIST GARY SHTEYNGART BBC “WE CAN ALWAYS PREVENT THINGS FROM GETTING WORSE. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN.” —GRETA THUNBERG ON GLOBAL WARMING TMZ  “The biggest reveal is actually that I’m a big NASCAR fan.” —ACTOR KAL PENN ON COMING OUT Esquire  “Sometimes I don’t think you should leave it to God. I think God has better things to do than get you that job promotion.” —PADMA LAKSHMI “WE DID IT, BROOKLYN!” —Jay-Z on being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The New York Times  “The future of art and culture seems bleak. It is not possible for the Taliban to live with art.” —AFGHAN MURALIST…

Inspired by Jules Verne’s globe-circling Phileas Fogg, Harvard’s David Damrosch has created a companionable, round-the-world tour in books to inspire armchair travelers and the intrepid in-person adventurer alike. From classical Kyoto to post-war London to modern-day Nigeria, explore how writers encounter the world and how the world bleeds into literature, as they transmute social conflicts and personal traumas into works of pleasure and beauty. What better way to travel than on the page today, and then in person once the last COVID restrictions lift? Faces of Love by Hafez, Khatun and Zakan SHIRAZ, IRAN This collection of three classic Persian poets brings us back into a Shiraz of wine, song and romantic rivalry. From the often mystical Hafez to the erotic female poet Khatun and the satiric Zakani,…

NEWSWEEK’S AUTO AWARDS HIGHLIGHT THE industry's best in 25 individual vehicle and brand categories. This first annual list includes several U.S. companies, a start-up automaker and a number of models that have recently been redesigned. Nearly all of the vehicles we ranked are made in America. We rated vehicles in two ways: by test driving them and by comparing their standard and available features and specifications to those of other vehicles in the same category. Over the last year, the Newsweek autos team drove about 150 vehicles, rating them in seven categories: performance, handling and braking, technology, cargo area, seating, interior appointments and pricing. We focused on how well the vehicles lived up to the expectations of the target customer. Automakers were asked to provide vehicles for testing and only…

The upturn will help boost the real estate and construction sectors, which tend to be driven by broader economic growth and market confidence. Even in 2020, when the global economy was hit by the covid-19 pandemic and related lockdowns, Ukrainian construction output grew by 4%, according to official figures. It was boosted by the government’s “Big Construction” programme, while private demand remains an essential part of the picture. The first five months of 2021 saw a 14.7% increase in residential construction. Leading the way in the sector is KADORR Group, led by Adnan Kiwan, a Damascus born entrepreneur who came to Ukraine as a student in the 1980s and whose vision and commitment to the country has built a company with around $1bn in assets. The company has invested $4bn…

The sector capitalises on the country’s strong scientific knowledge base, relatively low costs, and access to both developed markets in Europe and emerging economies further afield. The domestic market is also strong, growing by 13% in 2020, according to industry figures, despite the deep recession caused by the covid-19 pandemic. Yuria-Pharm, one of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies, embodies the sector’s strengths in innovation and knowledge and internationalisation, while retaining a strong presence in Ukraine. Its success is built on its expertise, epitomised by founder Mykola Gumeniuk, who started as a leading scientist and has become one of the country’s top pharmaceutical entrepreneurs. “The story stared in the USSR, where I was a senior researcher at a research institute,” he says. “We started a small enterprise as young scientists when…

Ukraine’s years of bold reform put it in a position to weather the economic impact of the covid-19 pandemic, according to the World Bank. The institution has noted the effect on both growth and the country’s fiscal position was less than had been expected, while terms of trade improved to deliver a current account surplus of 4.4%. The bank praised Ukraine’s progress in reforms in a range of areas, including the banking sector. Indeed, the banking system has proved strong enough to withstand the impact of the pandemic, posting overall profit of $1.5bn in 2020, and achieving its highest month-on-month profit in four years in December, according to the central bank. Retail lending in particular has proved robust, with an average new loan book of $7.8bn a month last year.…

As the world’s fifth-largest exporter of grain and a leading European producer of iron and steel, Ukraine benefits from a very open economy, with foreign trade accounting for 90% of GDP in 2019. It also benefits from Zelensky’s ambitious plans to transform the economy. When he came to power in 2019, Zelensky made it clear that attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) is a top priority. Months after his election victory, he outlined an ambitious reform agenda at the World Economic Forum, unveiling plans to privatize 500 state-owned companies, improve investor protection, offer five-year tax breaks for buyers of state-owned firms, and launch new services to facilitate project development: “We will defend your investment. We offer an ‘investment nanny’ for those investing $100 million-plus that will include a separate contract with…

The mining sector has been especially attractive for investors because of the enormous potential it offers. Ukraine is home to some of the world’s largest deposits of iron and manganese ore, and holds significant reserves of rare, critical and strategic minerals, including Europe’s largest titanium and beryllium reserves, and significant quantities of nickel, uranium, and graphite, among many others. With excellent access to these reserves, leading domestic mining developer BGV Group Management will play a crucial role in developing the industries of tomorrow, including electric vehicle batteries, solar wind farms, and advanced technology. Established in 2015, BGV Group Management creates innovative, advanced, and unique businesses active in exploration and production of oil and gas and minerals, including rare earth minerals. The group invests in sites where large deposits of vital…

Energy Resources of Ukraine (ERU) is the ideal partner for international investors looking to tap into this growth. Led by two highly-experienced senior energy industry professionals – the Ukrainian Yaroslav Mudryy and the American Dale Perry – the company provides a bridge between East and West. The company is increasingly diversified, with growing activities in energy efficiency and asset management, while retaining its strong core of trading. “Partners can be assured that we have the capacity to purchase gas and store it, all under the protection of EU legislation,” says Mudryy, ERU’s managing partner. “Last year we had record profits as we were able to import gas to our Ukrainain storage, store it, and then sell it at higher prices. We were able to manage the fluctuations in pricing.” Mudryy…