May 27, 2022

A Little Help from the European Family


A Little Help from the European Family
Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin meeting with Ukrainian prime minister Denys Shmyhal. Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

On May 26 in Kyiv, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal. During their meeting they signed an agreement for an education program called "Finnish Support for the Reform of the Ukrainian School,” which will last until 2023.

Finland will provide 6 million Euros and the EU will provide another 2 million between now and 2023.

Marin also said Finland will help with the reconstruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, employing advanced technologies for the rebuilding of cities, towns, and villages, once the Russian invasion is repulsed.

Shmyhal said Ukraine will begin defining projects soon, so as to begin work shortly thereafter, and thanked Finland for its support of Ukraine, saying the Finns supported Ukraine from the very start of Russian aggression in 2014. This despite Finland's historic neutrality.

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Life Stories
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Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

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