Top 5 News Stories 30 June
1. On the occasion of Constitution Day, Osnovy Publishing has issued “Simple Constitution” – a book on the Basic Law for children, reports the Ukrainian President’s Office. Volodymyr Zelensky supported the initiative of creating a Constitution for kids a year ago. “It is very important that children learn the basics of a democratic state and know their rights from an early age in a simple and attractive way,” reported the President’s Office. The book contains colourful illustrations, funny dialogues and comments. Source
2. Ukraine has made the preliminary list of countries whose citizens will be allowed to enter the European Union from 1 July, reports Euronews. Discussions are still ongoing, by Friday 26 June, a final agreement between European officials had still not been reached. A total of 54 countries are on the list, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, India and Turkey. Out of the former Soviet countries, in addition to Ukraine, the list includes Turkmenistan, Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Entry may remain closed to citizens of the United States, Brazil, Qatar and Russia, as these countries have a high incidence of coronavirus. Source
3. The EU mobilises emergency assistance following floods in Ukraine. Earlier this week, intensive rains resulted in the largest flooding in the south-west of Ukraine in the last 50 years, with several casualties and damage to hundreds of homes. To alleviate the initial needs, the Ukrainian authorities activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Sweden responded immediately and offered 1.2 kilometres of flood barrier, 250 hoses and technical experts. In addition to the Swedish assistance, the European Commission is providing mapping services of the affected areas through the EU Copernicus satellite system. Source
4. As of 29 June 2020, 646 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Ukraine over the past 24 hours. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 43 628, @Міністерство охорони здоров’я України reports. Of all cases, 19 027 people have recovered, and 1 147 people have died. From 1 July, the Ministry of Health will provide additional funds to hospitals which received less money this year than last year. In Kyiv, 4 980 cases have been confirmed. Telegram channel
5. On Constitution Day, volunteers, internally displaced people, and the military flew a 15-metre Ukrainian blue and yellow flag over occupied Donetsk, United Forces Operation reports on Facebook. As the video shows, the flag was tied to balloons. Within a few hours, photos and videos with the Ukrainian flag hovering over the city appeared in social media of residents of occupied Donetsk. Source
