Top 5 News Stories 27 April
COVID-19 Update – Reaching the peak
As of 9.00 on 26 April, there are 8,617 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ukraine, of which 492 were diagnosed in the last 24 hours. That number of infected has nearly doubled in the last 10 days. So far, 209 people have died (8 in the last 24 hours) and 840 have recovered. 86% of the fatalities have affected those over the age of 50. Chernivtsi and Kyiv city continue to see the biggest spikes, with 1,341 and 1,188 cases, respectively.
For more: https://www.facebook.com/moz.ukr/
For an interactive map of COVID-19 cases: https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/ukraine-coronavirus-map/30525116.html
COVID-19 Spikes in Russia, Belarus
Russia continues to be savaged by COVID-19, with 6,346 new cases reported in the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, Belarus – a country four times less populated than Ukraine – now has over 10,000 recorded cases, reports Espresso. Despite the massive uptick in cases in Russia, Russian media has only reported 681 deaths – a far lower mortality rate than recorded in Ukraine and Western Europe, leading critics to question whether fatalities are being underreported.
For more: https://espreso.tv/news/2020/04/26/u_rosiyi_za_dobu_vyyavyly_rekordnu_kilkist_khvorykh_na_covid_19 and https://espreso.tv/news/2020/04/26/u_bilorusi_kilkist_khvorykh_na_koronavirus_perevyschyla_10_tys_osib
Political Music Chairs Continue
As political firings continue to be a hallmark of the current government, the heads of the State Tax Service and State Customs Service and their top deputies will be looking for new jobs this summer. Neither had lasted for even three-quarters of the year. The news was announced by Serhiy Marchenko, himself appointed less than a month ago as Ukraine’s third finance minister in a month, reports the UBN.
For more: https://ubn.news/
Breaking Bad – Kyiv-Style
That was the title of a post by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) yesterday. Apparently, the group discovered a university chemistry professor manufacturing methamphetamine world nearly 275,000 USD in two labs in the city, including one in his own home. More than that, he would also examine the methamphetamine of others. No word yet on who he has retained for legal counsel.
Free Courses for Unemployed Ukrainians, says Coursera
American online education giant Coursera has promised to offer free courses for those who remain unemployed due to COVID-19. Users will need to register for the courses before 30 September and complete the courses by the end of the year. To date, 400,000 Ukrainians have registered as unemployed, while the Cabinet of Ministers expects that number to be closer to two million, reports Hromadske.
