Azarov: Ukraine must fight for the right to stage winter Olympic Games 2022

News / 31 July 2012 | 17:44

Ukraine must fight for the right to stage winter Olympic Games 2022, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said visiting the Kyiv Republican sport institute, ForUm correspondent reports.

“Within the Olympiad I had an interesting meeting with the Olympic committee chairman. He told me our bidding documents had been considered and preliminary approved for the tender,” Azarov said.

According to the PM, the Carpathians meet the standards of the Olympic Games. “He (the chairman -ed.) told me Ukraine should dare, apply the bid and fight. It will give a drive for development of not only winter sports,” Azarov added.

ForUm

Lytvyn signed "language law"

News / 31 July 2012 | 17:00

The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Volodymyr Lytvyn has signed the law on the principles of the state language policy.

As of July 31, this law is published on the website of the Parliament as already submitted to the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych for signing.

ForUm

Azarov promises to increase awards for Ukrainian Olympic medals winners

News / 31 July 2012 | 16:40

Ukrainian government is to reconsider the size of the awards for athletes taking top places at the Olympics, PM of Ukraine Mykola Azarov said, ForUm correspondent reports.

“Tomorrow at the government session we will reconsider the size of awards for our Olympians. I was at the Olympics opening ceremony in London and talked with my colleagues. I was interested in the size of awards other countries pay to their Olympic medalists. So I came to the conclusion that we should reconsider the size of payments,” Azarov said.

At the request of journalists to clarify the size of the increase in awards, Azarov said: “Let’s wait a day, for a decision of the Cabinet. But I will say that our awards will be no less than Russian ones, and even a bit more,” the PM said, recalling that Russia awards the gold medal athletes with 123 thousand USD, and Ukraine with 100 thousand USD.

ForUm

Three deputies left People’s Party

News / 31 July 2012 | 16:36

Three MPs from the People’s Party have suspended their membership in it, as they will run for seats in the parliamentary elections under the list of the Party of Regions.

The MPs Oleh Zarubynsky, Ihor Sharov and Kateryna Vashchuk will run for parliamentary seats from the Party of Regions, not from the People’s Party, the speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn said at a briefing after the Congress of the People’s Party, as ForUm correspondent reports.

“They have suspended the membership in the People’s Party,” Lytvyn said.

He assured that during the next session of the Parliament the People’s Party faction will work in full force as it did before.

ForUm

Parliament adopted the law on financing substitution of gas with coal

News / 31 July 2012 | 15:37

At the extraordinary meeting of July 30, 2012, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law of Ukraine on amendments to the Article 6 of the law of Ukraine on state budget of Ukraine 2012 concerning the financing of projects of substitution of natural gas.

The law increases by 29.5 billion UAH the total volume of state guarantees to ensure the full or partial fulfillment of debt commitments “under the commitments of economic entities of the public sector, which carry out projects of substitution of natural gas with domestic coal under to the memorandum of cooperation with the China Development Bank”.

The purpose of the law is to settle the issue of providing government guarantees to attract credit resources of the China Development Bank to finance the program of substitution of consumption of imported natural gas with domestic coal. This will occur through the introduction of Chinese technologies on the use of coal-water fuel on thermal power plants, as well as the production of synthesis gas for the needs of chemical industry and synthetic natural gas for the needs of the state’s economy due to the gasification of coal.

ForUm

Sevastopil hosts Navy Day

News / 31 July 2012 | 15:23

Police did not register violations of public order during a holiday in honor of Navy Day in Russia and Ukraine’s Navy Day on July 29 in Sevastopil, ForUm learned from the Sevastopil press service of the Internal Ministry.

According to the authorities, the event took place in a quiet environment, crime and delinquency at the festival was prevented.

 

“600 police officers and more than 1 thousand military men were on duty,” the statement says.

According to the report, over 70 thousand Sevastopil residents and visitors came to watch the naval parade. Evening festivities in the city center were attended by over 50 thousand people.

ForUm

Lytvyn is ready to sign language law

News / 31 July 2012 | 14:56

The speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Volodymyr Lytvyn does not rule out that he may sign the law on the principles of the national language policy, which greatly expands the field of application of the Russian language.

“Considering the formal requirements of the Rules and the Constitution, I have to urgently sign this law and submit it to the President. I hope that after my conversation with the head of the state a draft national program on development of the Ukrainian language as a single state language will be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada in September, and the law on the application of the state language will be adopted. I registered the bill. If the President will support my suggestions, I’ll have to sign this law on the principles of the national language policy – Ed.), Lytvyn told a briefing after the Congress of the People’s Party, ForUm correspondent reports.

 

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Azarov: We are ready for provocations at the elections

News / 31 July 2012 | 14:46

The Ukrainian government is interested in holding transparent and democratic parliamentary elections. Installation of web cameras at each polling station will prevent frauds, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said at a meeting in Kyiv with Libor Rouchek, the Vice President of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats for the European Parliament.

According to the Cabinet’s press service, the Prime Minister stressed that parliamentary elections will be crucial for future of the state, because the continuation of the system transformation and improvement of the economy and living standards depend on the results. So the European perspective of Ukraine will be practically implemented, Azarov said.

He noted that the Cabinet is interested in holding fair and democratic elections, and that is why all international observers are invited to join the monitoring of the elections. According to Azarov, almost all European institutions have expressed a desire to send their representatives to Ukraine for the parliamentary elections.

“Some political forces are preparing provocative acts. We are ready for this and we are going to minimize the impact of these provocations on the assessment of the elections with the help of international observers,” the Prime Minister reported.

ForUm