Cabinet approves state program of family support

News / 15 May 2013 | 16:40

The Cabinet of Ministers approved the state targeted social program to support families up to 2016, social policy minister of Ukraine Natalia Korolevska told a briefing, ForUm correspondent reports.

She reminded that the previous government program ended in 2010.

Korolevska also noted that 14102 children received the status of children deprived of parental care in 2012.

46 million UAH were provided to implement this program, 11 million of which – from the state budget, 34 million – from the local budgets and 750 thousand – grants and additional raised funds.

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Majority invites opposition to test knowledge of Ukrainian

News / 15 May 2013 | 16:19

MP from the Party of Regions faction Oleksandr Stoyan invited parliamentarians from the opposition to test knowledge of the Ukrainian language with writing a dictation.

“Let’s gather in groups of a few members of factions and write a dictation. You will see that the Party of Regions members know and respect the Ukrainian language,” the MP said, ForUm correspondent reports.

In such a way Stoyan reacted to the fact that MPs from the Svoboda faction protest against speeches of MPs in Russian in the session hall.

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Kozhara to meet with colleagues from Visegrad Group

News / 15 May 2013 | 16:05

Foreign minister of Ukraine Leonid Kozhara will visit Krakow, Poland on May 17 to participate in a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four, acting director of the FM press service Yevhen Perebyinis told a briefing.

“It is planned that the meeting will also be attended by EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule and the foreign ministers of Ireland and Lithuania, whose countries hold the presidency of the EU Council this year,” he said on Wednesday.

He added that the aim of the meeting is to assess the results of the implementation of the Eastern Partnership initiative and outline the areas in the EU’s eastern policy ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius this year.

Representatives of the partner countries, including Ukraine, will make reports on the implementation of internal reforms envisaged in the European agenda.

In addition, during the visit, Kozhara will hold bilateral meetings with his European counterparts.

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MPs to check Health Ministry officials

News / 15 May 2013 | 15:50

Parliament approved a decision on establishment of the temporary commission for investigation into violations of the law in public procurement, inefficient use of public funds and abuse of power by officials of the Health Ministry and other state-owned enterprises, institutions and organizations in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry.

As ForUm correspondent reports, 205 MPs voted for a draft resolution.

Commission will be headed by MP from the Batkivshchyna faction Anatoly Dyriv. His deputy will be MP from the Svoboda Oleh Helevei.

In addition, the commission’s members will be MPs from the Batkivshchyna faction Tetiana Donets and Pavlo Petrenko and MP from the UDAR Party faction Maria Ionova.

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Ukraine starts importing gas through Slovakia in test mode

News / 15 May 2013 | 15:37

Ukraine has begun importing gas through Slovakia in test mode, energy and coal industry minister Eduard Stavytsky told journalists.

“We have started importing gas. The exchange of information will be tested and carried out,” he said.

Stavytsky added that the reverse gas imports in a test mode may last around 7-10 days.

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FM recommends Ukrainians not to travel to Libya

News / 15 May 2013 | 15:27

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry recommends Ukrainian citizens not to travel to Libya, acting director of the information policy department of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis told a briefing, ForUm correspondent reports.

“In connection with a terrorist act, which occurred on May 13 near the central hospital in Benghazi, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine renews recommendation for Ukrainians to refrain from visiting Libya till situation in the country is normalized,” he added.

In addition, Perebyinis stressed that there were no Ukrainians among victims of this attack.

As a reminder, at least 12 people were killed in blast near the hospital in the city of Benghazi in eastern Libya on May 13.

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About 50 kilometers of railway tracks upgraded in Ukraine

News / 15 May 2013 | 15:13

Modernization of about 50 kilometers of railway tracks has been carried out in Ukraine, infrastructure minister Volodymyr Kozak told a briefing, ForUm correspondent reports.

“Modernization of railway tracks in Ukraine has started. About 50 km of tracks worth more than 150 million UAH have been already upgraded,” he said.

According to him, the Cabinet took the initiative to speed up the modernization of railway tracks up to 1000 km per year and up to 500 track switches. “Implementation of this project will ensure metal orders in the amount of 550 thousand tons over two years. This is a very large infusion into the economy of the country,” Kozak noted.

The minister also said that Ukraine should upgrade a locomotive fleet. “We have about 1.700 trains. They were made in the sixties. Therefore, updating is necessary, because they are morally and physically outdated,” he stressed.

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Parliament equalizes single mothers and fathers in rights

News / 15 May 2013 | 14:58

Parliament extended rights of single fathers, ForUm correspondent reports.

In particular, MPs took as a basis and the whole bill ¹1179 on amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine on ensuring equality of rights of single mothers and fathers.
306 MPs supported the document.

As stated by the speaker, author of the bill MP from the Party of Regions Iryna Berezhna, there are 250 thousand single fathers in Ukraine, according to official statistics.

“Both father and mother, if they bring up children on their own, should have the equal rights,” she said.

Berezhna informed that the bill equalizes the rights of single fathers and mothers to the priority list for housing, employment, additional leaves and financial support.

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