Timoshenko threatens regions with staff shift

News / 11 August 2005 | 18:10

Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Timoshenko declares that, according to results of tax allocation to the state budget for eight month, staff shifts will be conducted in regions.

According to her, only nine regions of Ukraine fulfilled the plan of tax allocation to the budget. "It is needed to consider the shift of regional tax administrations heads," pointed out Timoshenko.

PM also mentioned that these are very alarming showing. "I will not allow to "ruin" the state budget. According to results we will conduct staff shifts. Someone must pay for failure of tax allocation," said Timoshenko, having underlined that "there are no bad regions, there are bad governors."

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Minister of Justice of Ukraine to appear before the court

News / 11 August 2005 | 17:50

On August 18, the first judicial sitting of Pechersk Court of Kiev will concern the suit of Irina Popovich against Roman Zvarych Minister of Justice.

The reason of claim is her dismissal during her sick list. Ex-chief Lviv Regional Justice Department demands to restore her in the office. She will personally present in the first hearing. Her interests will be represented by an attorney from Kiev.

Besides, Popovich mentioned that she was warned about her claim by Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

The similar claims were sent to the court by Sumy and Kharkov regional.  

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Byelorussian drivers commit traffic accidents in Ukraine

News / 11 August 2005 | 17:22

Ministry of Transport and Communication of Ukraine asks Byelorussian drivers to follow traffic regulations on Ukrainian roads.

Ministry demands to reconsider the order of license delivery to Byelorussian drivers, who offer services of passengers and load transportation. Ministry proposes to take into account the qualification of drivers and correspondence of vehicles to international agreements.

The number of accidents has increased recently. Especially Byelorussian drivers do not keep the speed regimes and violate traffic regulations. 
   
In particular, on August 8, the accident caused by Byelorussian driver happened on the highway "Vaskovichi-Shepetovka." The driver of Neoplan bus tried overtaking with steering. The bus fell in left ditch and turned over. Fifteen persons were seriously injured.

As a reminder, on August 2 Ministry of Transport and Communication sent the same request to Pole drivers.

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“Mini-Davos” has not yielded fruit

News / 11 August 2005 | 16:51

On August 2, the Cabinet passed the resolution ¹666 on creation of Ukrainian Assistance Center for foreign Investment, Vladimir Ignashchenko deputy Minister of Economy reported about it.

According to his words, the Center will take into account the experience of Poland, Ireland and Czechia. The functions of the Center are following: creation of information base, active work with regions, ombudsman function between power bodies and investors.

The head of the Center will be appointed by Minister of Economy. The registration of the organization will be held after the necessary documents will be ready.
Besides, Ignashchenko stated that "Mini-Davos" has not given any results, because even those propositions which had been discussed in the meeting were not executed. "They gathered, chatted well and went home," deputy Minister of Economy commented on the conference "Mini-Davos."    

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Arcelor still interested in Ukraine’s Krivorozhstal

News / 11 August 2005 | 13:25

Arcelor (leader in the global steel industry) said it is still interested in Ukraine’s Krivorozhstal after the government announced the launch of the privatisation for the country’s leading steel producer, Forbes informed.

"In 2004, Arcelor said it that it was interested in Krivorozhstal during the original privatisation process. The group is still interested today," said an Arcelor spokesman.

The original attempt to sell-off the steel company was aborted in the midst of political turmoil surrounding the ‘Orange revolution’ which swept President Viktor Yushchenko to power.

Yesterday the process was reopened, with bids above 2 bln usd accepted until Oct 17. Officials said the sales of the 93.02 pct stake in the company will partly take the form of an auction, with bidders able to raise their initial offers once the results of the first round are announced.

Earlier today, Spanish daily La Gaceta de los Negocios reported that Arcelor had launched a bid for the Ukrainian group along with five other companies.

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Yulia Timoshenko is the star of a porn-and-politics film

News / 11 August 2005 | 13:06

A raunchy porn-and-politics film featuring characters based on two of the youngest and most photogenic leaders to emerge from the former Soviet Union is to start shooting in Russia next week, the film’s producer says, News 24 reported.

The two main characters in the short film, entitled ‘Yulia’, are referred to only by that name and as Mikhail, but the audience will be left in no doubt that they are based on Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, 44, and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, 37.

In the 26-minute film the two are shown holding a secret meeting in Moscow, talking politics and making love in a helicopter flying over the Russian-Georgian border, producer Alexander Valov said.

Valov, a prominent Russian pop music producer, authored the script with Aleksei Mitrofanov, a Russian nationalist politician from the far right-wing Liberal Democratic Party.

"In the script, their surnames will not be used, nor their official positions. There will be no diplomatic scandal," Mitrofanov said.

But viewers should have no trouble guessing that the woman with the trademark braid wound around her head is intended to be Tymoshenko, the heroine of last year’s "orange revolution" in Ukraine that toppled a pro-Russian government and replaced it with a pro-Western one, the authors said.

Saakashvili came to power in a peaceful revolt dubbed the "rose revolution" in November 2004, ousting the country’s veteran president Eduard Shevardnadze.

Tymoshenko and Saakashvili are unpopular among many Russian nationalists, who see them as anti-Moscow and pro-Washington.

Mitrofanov and Valov came up with the idea for an erotic comedy in a restaurant after Mitrofanov claimed that Tymoshenko had made a secret visit to Russia as prime minister.

Tymoshenko, who was appointed prime minister on February 4, is accused of bribery by Russian prosecutors.

"I am not pursuing any political objectives with the production of this film. For me it’s just business," Valov said.

Yuliya is to be played by young Ukrainian porn star Elena Berkova, 20, and a little-known Armenian actor will play Mikhail, Valov said.

Valov said that if the film was successful he was considering a whole series of erotic films featuring political figures.

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Azerbaijani-Ukrainian Commission to hold meeting in Baku

News / 11 August 2005 | 12:20

The Azerbaijani-Ukrainian commission on economic cooperation will meet in Baku this fall, the Ukrainian embassy in Baku told AssA-Irada.

The participants will discuss issues relating to the sale of agricultural products and arrangements for the Days of Ukraine in Azerbaijan and a similar event in Ukraine.

A forum of the two countries’ businessmen and an exhibition of Ukrainian products will he held prior to the meeting.

The intergovernmental commission is co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Abbas Abbasov and his Ukrainian counterpart Anatoly Kinakh.

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Ukraine lifted a ban of poultry import from Russia

News / 11 August 2005 | 12:00

As reported by the head of Veterinary Department of Ukraine, Petr Verbitsky, Ukraine lifted the ban of poultry import from European part of Russia.

According to Verbitsky, Veterinary Department strictly follows the requirements of Veterinary code.

He also added that the situation in Russia and Kazakhstan is under control. Spread of bird flu is local. Verbitsky said the wide spread is not forecasted.

Verbitsky also pointed out that there are no guarantees that bird flu will not come to Ukraine. The fact of meat smuggling, including poultry meat, was established.

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