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Everything that happened last week in Ukraine and the world and that is relevant for the furniture maker, read in our digest:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
1. In Ukraine, most sole proprietors pay contributions from the minimum wage, so they will be able to receive only the minimum pension – now it is 1769 hryvnias. This was stated by the head of the Ministry of Social Policy Marina Lazebna.<\/p>\n
“On the one hand, none of the entrepreneurs wants to go too low pensions, on the other – private individuals pay a minimum of contributions, thus simply” buying “their experience.<\/span><\/p>\n A bill is currently being drafted stating that private individuals will participate in the mandatory funded form of pension formation on a voluntary basis. And then what is a person’s choice? Either pay the minimum contribution and be on the minimum pension or voluntarily pay more contributions. “<\/span><\/p>\n 2. <\/span>Ukraine wants to facilitate the employment of people with disabilities. The Cabinet of Ministers supported the bill. The law proposes to introduce an incentive tool so that employers are interested in employing people with disabilities. In this way, every Ukrainian will be able to gain barrier-free access to the workplace and the opportunity to participate in the economic life of the country.<\/p>\n 3. Thanks to the support of exporters and businesses in the first quarter of this year there is an increase in trade and exports of goods, even compared to the pre-crisis first quarter of last year, said Prime Minister Denis Shmygal,<\/p>\n “Ukrainian exports in the first quarter increased by 12% compared to the first quarter of last year. Significant growth in exports of our goods continues to be observed in China (+ 55%), the United Kingdom (+ 38%) and the European Union (+ 17%).<\/span><\/p>\n He added that in the coming years the government plans to agree on signing five more free trade agreements with various countries, which should significantly expand the geography of our exports.<\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n 4. A team of researchers from the University of Maryland has found a new way to make a tree transparent.<\/p>\n The “usual” way to make wood transparent requires the use of chemicals to remove lignin. This process is time-consuming, produces a lot of liquid waste and weakens the wood. Now scientists have found a way to make wood transparent without removing lignin. The peculiarity of the new process is that lignin is replaced. Researchers have removed lignin molecules that are involved in creating the colour of the wood. First, they applied hydrogen peroxide to the surface of the wood and then exposed the treated wood to ultraviolet light (or natural sunlight). Then the wood was soaked in ethanol for further purification. In the final, the scientists filled the pores with clear epoxy resin to make the wood smooth. The resulting wood was 50 times stronger than transparent wood obtained in the usual way. In addition, it transmits 90% of light.<\/span><\/p>\n 5. What is 3D printing, now almost everyone knows. However, until very recently is based <\/span>on the use of special polymers. But technology is evolving, and there is an almost fantastic way of 3D printing – from wood<\/span><\/p>\n Researchers at the University of Technology and Design in Singapore have developed a method for printing objects using cellulose, one of the main polymers found in wood.<\/span><\/p>\n According to scientists, this revolutionary product is a cheap, renewable and biodegradable alternative to plastic. The new FLAM material is a combination of one of the most common biological polymers on Earth: cellulose and chitin.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t