http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ News http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/127702/ World Wed, 16 May 2012 22:23:53 +0300
Abdnor, who was a farmer, teacher and World War II veteran before jumping into politics, died Wednesday, his family said in a statement. Vance Goldammer,Abdnor'sattorney and long-time friend, saidAbdnordied of natural causes. He had been in hospice care since May 6.

Despite three decades in public service,Abdnornever quite mastered the art of public speaking. But he served on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee and earned a reputation for working hard to help farmers and win South Dakota water projects.

Abdnor, who grew up in the South Dakota ranching town of Kennebec, once said his many years of riding a tractor helped him represent farmers in Washington.

"I'm a farmer,"Abdnorsaid in 1986. "I've dug more field dirt out of my ears than anyone in Congress. I treasure that heritage."

WhenAbdnorlost his Senate seat in 1986 to then-U.S. Congressman Tom Daschle, Reagan appointed him head of the U.S. Small Business Administration and he held the post for two years.

He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska in 1945, and then taught school at Kennebec and Presho before becoming a farmer. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He never married.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127701/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 20:59:02 +0300
He talks about what it might take for Ukraine to reverse its backsliding on democratic reforms, including learning "the lessons of their failures." He says he's "guardedly optimistic that the democrats in Ukraine will find their footing again," and notes that the "imprisoning and mistreatment of [former Prime Minister Yulia] Tymoshenko has had a significant effect on Ukrainian public opinion."

Read and watch more here.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127700/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 20:52:18 +0300
In February, Ukraine’s Pechersky Court sentenced Lutsenko, an ally of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, to four years in prison for abuse of office. The former minister has denied any wrongdoing, saying his trial was politically motivated. The Ukrainian authorities have rejected the allegation.

Read more here.
]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/127699/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 16 May 2012 20:46:42 +0300
Lord Justice Martin Moore-Bick ruled that, assuming Ablyazov declined to appear, such an order would have the effect of dismissing the appeal without a hearing on its merits.

Ablyazov dropped out of sight just before he was sentenced in London in February to 22 months in prison for contempt of court during a financial fraud trial. He is being sued by the bank, which is now nationalized, for allegedly stealing nearly $5 billion while he was chairman and part-owner.

Ablyazov's lawyers apparently don't know where he is, the judge said.

In 2009, the newly nationalized bank obtained a worldwide order freezing assets of Ablyazov and a number of companies he is believed to control. When Ablyazov failed to comply with the terms of the order, the bank successfully petitioned a British court to put many of the companies in the hands of receivers.

The court later ordered Ablyazov to disclose his assets and to remain in Britain until he complied.

A year ago, the bank sought a court order to put Ablyazov in prison for contempt, alleging more than 30 breaches of court orders.

"There are certainly strong grounds for believing that Mr. Ablyazov is in willful and contumacious default of other orders of the court," Moore-Bick said.

"Much of what he says appears at first sight to be exaggerated and implausible and it is striking that the fears for his personal safety on which he now relies so heavily were voiced only after judgment was given in the committal proceedings," the judge added.

Moore-Bick commented that Ablyazov appeared to be abusing the process of the court.

"He has, for example, dealt with assets in breach of the freezing order and there is evidence to suggest that he is seeking to do so again. He has failed to cooperate with the receivers. There are very strong reasons for thinking that he has left the jurisdiction in breach of the court's order," the judge said.

Moore-Bick rejected Ablyazov's claim that he has no money to defend himself, but depends on third parties.

"There was good reason to believe that the company which is now said to be lending him funds to support the litigation, Green Life International S.A., is also owned or controlled by him," the judge said.

Ablyazov, a former energy minister in the Kazakh government, was a leader of an opposition movement, Democratic Choice. He was convicted of corruption and abuse of office in 2002 and sentenced to six years in prison and a heavy fine.

He was pardoned by President Nursultan Nazarbayev the following year, and dropped out of politics.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/127698/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 16 May 2012 20:36:20 +0300
Some opposition leaders hope that the tough measures will foment anger and fuel bigger rallies. But others fear the repression will blunt the protest movement by scaring away many of the mostly middle-class protesters who turned out in the tens of thousands for peaceful demonstrations this winter.

A demonstration of at least 20,000 a day before Vladimir Putin's inauguration turned into a fierce battle with police as some of the protest participants attempted to march on the Kremlin. Scores were injured in clashes between stone- and bottle-throwing demonstrators and police who fought back with truncheons and tear gas. In the next few days, police chased the opposition around city, rounding up hundreds on the streets and in cafes.

Authorities eased the crackdown a bit after Putin was sworn in May 7, allowing the opposition to stage a camp on tree-lined Chistoprudny Boulevard, one of the most iconic and attractive places in central Moscow.

The organizers refrained from putting out political posters and chanting slogans so that the round-the-clock camp technically wouldn't count as an unsanctioned protest. The gathering daily attracted up to a few thousand during daytime, but attendance would drop to just a few dozen overnight.

The authorities let the camp go for a week, but lost patience after a court on May 15 supported a lawsuit by local residents who claimed that the vigil was creating a mess.

Police dispersed the camp early Wednesday, May 16. Camp organizers called for a move to another location in central Moscow, and police didn't intervene when dozens of activists started gathering at a small square across town.

Authorities also let a group of popular writers lead several thousand on a march across downtown Moscow unimpeded over the weekend, and several top painters and other members of the capital's arts scene plan to stage a similar demonstration this week.

While authorities seem to show at least some tolerance to opposition action if the organizers fastidiously obey the law, they clearly aim to scare those in the opposition movement who appear eager to cross the barriers.

Popular blogger and anti-corruption lawyer Alexei Navalny and Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov, the two leading organizers of the winter wave of protests, were sentenced to 15 days in jail for disobeying police following the May 6 rally that ended in clashes with police. Some Russian media reports speculated that they could face a longer prison term if accused of staging the violence.

The lawmakers who played a key role in protests, Ilya Ponomarev and Gennady and Dmitry Gudkov, all members of the socialist Just Russia faction, have faced increasing pressure from the Kremlin party dominating the parliament. On May 15, several members of the Kremlin party called for stripping the three of the immunity from prosecution they enjoyed as members of parliament.

"Go ahead, arrest deputies, put us behind bars, that will only speed up your demise," Gennady Gudkov, a KGB veteran turned fierce Putin critic, said during debates in the lower house. "Instead of political reforms, they want to only rely on force, but violence foments violence."

His son, Dmitry, tweeted on May 16 that the Kremlin party apparently is preparing to initiate a bill that would introduce a five-year prison term for organizers of the rallies that end in violence.

As part of the official pressure on the Gudkovs, a private security agency they own was targeted by authorities that found some violations and ordered it stripped it of its arms.

In another move to tame the opposition, Putin's loyalists are also working on legislation that would raise the level of fines from the current maximum 5,000 rubles ($166) to 1,500,000 rubles (about $50,000).

The rising official pressure comes as the opposition is desperately trying to maintain momentum amid the feeling of exasperation and gloom that followed Putin's inauguration. Some activists believe massive rallies are essential for shaking Putin's power, but others argue that the opposition must focus instead on grassroots activism and municipal elections, hoping they would help gradually make Russia a more open and pluralistic society.

Grigory Yavlinsky, the leader of the liberal Yabloko party, has warned the protest leaders against provoking police.

"If the organizers believe that the riot police cruelty will multiply the number of people eager to fight them, it's a wrong calculation," he wrote on his blog. "People will simply stop attending rallies and marches if blood is shed there, if they are beaten."]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/127697/ Politics Wed, 16 May 2012 20:20:15 +0300
Afanasyev also said that in spite of the latest refusal by Tymoshenko to undergo the procedures in the protest of the actions of State Penitentiary Service and Health Ministry, the ex-premier's communication with a medical staff of the Kharkiv hospital remains normal.

As reported, Harms reported on May 16 that he would not remain in Kharkiv until the end of the course of treatment of Tymoshenko. His colleague would replace him. The replacement was initially planned, but the doctor found it difficult to give the date of his departure.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/127696/ Politics Wed, 16 May 2012 20:13:59 +0300
The service also reported that a meeting of Tymoshenko with PACE representatives had been scheduled for the time at which the Canadian delegation wanted to meet with Tymoshenko.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127695/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 20:05:44 +0300
The replacement will take place due to a staff turnover.

Ashton appointed 15 new heads and two deputy heads of the EU Delegations around the world.

Teixeira, in turn, was appointed head of the EU Delegation in Cape Verde.

At the moment, Tombinski heads the mission of Poland to the European Union. He was appointed to this post in February 2007. From 2001 until 2007 he worked as ambassador of Poland to France.

Tombinski was born on October 4, 1958 in Krakow. He is a linguist by education. Tombinski is married and has ten children. He speaks German, English, French, Slovenian, and Czech.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127694/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 19:53:44 +0300
"During our meeting we discussed many things which Mrs. Tymoshenko wanted to tell us – the conditions of her treatment, her imprisonment, and of course her health," Reps said at a briefing on May 16.

The co-rapporteur said that they also discussed politics and the upcoming parliamentary elections.

In turn, Pourbaix-Lundin said that they would make a statement on the results of the meeting at a press conference in Kyiv on May 17.

"As we have just met with Mrs. Tymoshenko and her doctor, we are not ready to make a statement right now. Tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. we will hold a press conference in Kyiv. Many of things we discussed with Mrs. Tymoshenko were private and confidential and we would like to keep them like that," she said.

"She's got used to stress - she was a presidential candidate and she is a very strong woman," Pourbaix-Lundin said, when asked about the health condition of Tymoshenko.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/127693/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 16 May 2012 19:41:32 +0300
"In all, from 2001 through 2011, Rosoboronexport supplied over 420 helicopters to 33 countries," according to the statement, a copy of which was obtained by Interfax-AVN on May 16.

"Currently, Rosoboronexport is successfully fulfilling a significant contract to supply India with Mikoyan Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters fitted with a 24-hour pilot navigation system by a domestic manufacturer," head of the company's Helicopter Export Department Grigory Kozlov was quoted as saying.

Since 2011, the company has been supplying Mi-17V-5 helicopters fitted with a modern Western-made radio and navigation equipment to Afghanistan, the company official said.

"The company is actively promoting on the foreign markets its Mi-26T2 heavy transport helicopter, with the biggest lifting capacity in the world, and fitted with modern digital integrated onboard radio electronics, which makes it possible to reduce the number of cockpit crew members, provides for helicopter piloting during sling load operations, and can deal with other transportation tasks," Kozlov said.

Also, Rosoboronexport is promoting to various parts of the world a long list of modern rotorcraft such as the Mi-17 class military transport helicopters, Mi-35M and Mi-35P transport combat helicopters, Mi-28N and Kamov Ka-52 combat helicopters, as well as Ka-226T light multirole helicopters and other craft, the statement said.

Apart from supplying end products, Rosoboronexport is offering a wide range of services including maintenance, repair and upgrade of the helicopters supplied for foreign defense ministries, the press release said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127692/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 19:33:50 +0300
Donetsk airport recently introduced an artificial runway suitable for all types of airplanes, including the heavy Boeing 747 and Airbus A380. It boasts the tallest in the country 52 meter control tower. The International Civil Aviation Organization granted the airport the ICAO III A category, allowing it to accept landings at zero visibility conditions.

Read more here.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127691/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 19:21:42 +0300
Korsunsky was speaking at the CIS Oil and Gas Summit in Paris Wednesday in an expert capacity rather than officially on behalf of the Ukrainian government.

Read more here.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127690/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 19:11:19 +0300
Artur Stepanyants, 53, whose saga was reported in The Moscow Times in March of last year, was arrested by Ukrainian law enforcement officers in 2010 while purchasing Soviet-made naval equipment he had been planning to use for spare parts for the ships of the Russian naval fleet in Sevastopol.

Read more here.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127689/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 18:57:23 +0300
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia has developed experimental tariffs for daily high-speed Hyundai and Skoda trains of the Intercity+ and Intercity categories respectively.

The fare will be adjusted depending on the purchase of a return ticket in terms of calendar days and the day of the week. Thus, a trip from Kyiv to Kharkiv (distance 488 km) in a second class wagon of a high-speed Hyundai train will cost from Hr 222, and that in a first class wagon - from Hr 379. The fare in high-speed Skoda trains on the Kharkiv-Donetsk route (318 km) will start from Hr 57 for the second class and from Hr 125 for the first class.

Ukrzaliznytsia earlier drew up an experimental schedule for Intercity+ and Intercity categories trains produced by Hyundai Rotem and Skoda Vagonka.

The new trains will start running according to the experimental schedule from May 27 until September 1 this year. During this time the railways will analyze passenger flows on the routes and study the capabilities of the Hyundai and Skoda trains, amending their schedules if required.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/127688/ Politics Wed, 16 May 2012 18:45:45 +0300
"According to the current legislation, punishments in the form of imprisonment must be served at the relevant facilities. When the ruling is executed, convict Lutsenko will be sent to prison," he said.

At the same time, the prosecutor noted that another case against the ex-minister is being considered.

"Depending on the way in which it will be considered, a prison for Lutsenko will be selected," Klymenko said.

The prosecutor said that the case is to be considered on Friday, while it is difficult to forecast when the consideration of the case will be over.

"Most likely, the convict will not be sent to prison until the criminal case is considered," Klymenko said.

Kyiv Court of Appeals on May 16 upheld a verdict issued by Kyiv's Pechersky District Court against Lutsenko, who was sentenced to four years in prison.

On February 27, 2012, Pechersky District Court in Kyiv found Lutsenko guilty of committing official crimes and sentenced him to four years in prison, with confiscation of his property.

The essence of the charges lies in the fact that Lutsenko, while serving as interior minister, allegedly facilitated the accrual of an illegal pension to his driver, Leonid Prystupliuk, the allocation of housing to him, as well as his inclusion in the operational services department.

The other charges concern the extension of an investigative case concerning the driver of former SBU First Deputy Chief Volodymyr Satsiuk, as part of an investigation into the poisoning of then presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko.

Lutsenko was detained on December 26, 2010.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/127687/ World Wed, 16 May 2012 18:37:33 +0300
Czech lower house deputies have parliamentary immunity and can be arrested and detained only if caught at the time a crime is committed or immediately afterwards. The lower house decides whether the deputy's prosecution can go ahead.

State attorney Lenka Bradacova, who is overseeing the case, said on May 15, "He is charged with accepting a bribe. There was seven million crowns ($349,000) with (Rath) when he left the place where the crime occurred."

Rath, 46, is the first lower house deputy to be held in prison since 1998.

Rath, who was also governor of the central region of Bohemia surrounding Prague before resigning on May 16, has denied the charges, and said in a public statement that the case gave the impression of being the "well-prepared and well-performed social execution of a politician".

Czech media said Rath was suspected of taking a bribe connected with public construction contracts and the distribution of EU funds.

In April, 90,000 people marched through Prague to protest against spending cuts, tax rises and political graft - the biggest anti-government protest since the end of communism.

The leftist Social Democrats lead Prime Minister Petr Necas's Civic Democrat party in opinion polls by 20 percentage points.

Last month, Necas expelled a junior coalition member, the Public Affairs party, after its caucus chief Vit Barta was given a suspended sentence for bribing party members to secure their loyalty.

Leaked wiretaps of phone conversations between former Prague mayor Pavel Bem, forced out of Necas's party earlier this year, and a lobbyist, in which they discussed filling top positions in companies controlled by the city, added to public anger over political graft.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127686/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 18:27:14 +0300
"Of course we will file an appeal. We have to use all possibilities and all means of national protection, after which we will appeal to the European Court [of Human Rights], and under the current state of affairs I am hundred percent sure that we will win this case at the European Court," the lawyer said.

Kyiv Court of Appeals on May 16 upheld a verdict issued by Kyiv's Pechersky District Court against Lutsenko, who was sentenced to four years in prison.

On February 27, 2012, Pechersky District Court in Kyiv found Lutsenko guilty of committing official crimes and sentenced him to four years in prison, with confiscation of his property.

The essence of the charges lies in the fact that Lutsenko, while serving as interior minister, allegedly facilitated the accrual of an illegal pension to his driver, Leonid Prystupliuk, the allocation of housing to him, as well as his inclusion in the operational services department.

Another episode of charges concerns the extension of an investigative case concerning the driver of former SBU First Deputy Chief Volodymyr Satsiuk as part of an investigation into the poisoning of then presidential candidate Viktor Yuschenko.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/city/detail/127685/ City Wed, 16 May 2012 18:16:50 +0300
“It’s patently clear that he (Spolsky) doesn’t have the money, he has no credibility anymore,” said Roman Shwed, the group’s president after unsuccessfully visiting Spolsky’s office on May 16 to pick up the money as scheduled.

Spolsky, 59, was not available for comment following two unsuccessful calls the Kyiv Post placed on his cell phone on May 16.

Shwed told the Kyiv Post that instead a lady named Yana had called him on the morning of May 16 claiming to be Spolsky’s lawyer and the legal representative for Vesuvio Pizza, the name of Spolsky’s two Kyiv pizza parlors.

According to Shwed, the lady had asked for a week delay in paying the $56,000 back “in order to review the case.”

Shwed dismissed this plea as just another “bait and switch move that Spolsky has been doing for the past 18 months.”

Two Kyiv Post phone calls to Spolsky’s alleged lawyer went unanswered.

Spolsky served as the group’s treasurer from July 2009 until June 2011.

During this time, the group had raised money to purchase prenatal equipment for area hospitals, but ended up purchasing five less in September 2011 because of the alleged missing money, Shwed said in October. Business community members, and diplomats, including the Canadian ambassador at that time had attended the fundraising events.

Spolsky who has other business interests told the Kyiv Post in October 2011 that the money was being kept in a safety deposit box and that he was withholding the money because he was conducting an audit of the group’s financial activities.

Spolsky added in October that an audit was taking longer than expected because there were “thousands of entries and sub-sheets that needed to be reviewed.”

However, the group was skeptical that an audit of the group’s activities could take so long. “Our finances aren’t complicated, we appointed our own auditor who is an American ready to do this if Spolsky would show us the financial records,” said Dirk Lustig in October, the group's former president and current member.

The club has in the past written formal complaints to the Canadian Embassy, the Canadian Business Club and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the latter of which Spolsky represents on the Ukrainian World Coordinating Council under the Ukrainian World Congress. But Shwed says they have not gone to police yet because they still hope to get the money back.

Shwed said club members decided to go public with the allegations after failing to initially retrieve the money for eight months, despite what he says were numerous pledges from Spolsky to return the funds.

“He claims he has the money, but he’s giving countless excuses for not returning the money,” Shwed said. “As the Rotary Club, we try to find an amicable solution. He’s here. He’s not running away.”

The club’s members say they asked Spolsky to hand over records in April 2011 and all money available at the time, after he started missing regular meetings in February 2011.

Spolsky said he was frequently travelling on business until April 2011 when he began suffering from heart complications which kept him from assuming daily operations for four months. When he recovered, Spolsky said, he initiated the audit.

Shwed told the Kyiv Post that Spolsky also has not shown good faith by not initiating contact with the group. Spolsky countered that he has never avoided phone calls and could account for all his actions.

Other expatriates who live or used to live in Kyiv also say Spolsky owes them money.

Canadian Lidia Wolanskyj, the former publisher of the defunct Eastern Economist magazine, said Spolsky owes her $10,000 dating from 2003 when he purchased the magazine from her. Spolsky said he never bought the magazine because the company was in “bad shape.” But in an Oct. 16, 2003 Kyiv Post article, Spolsky acknowledged being the new owner of the magazine.

What’s On magazine’s publisher Neil Campbell told the Kyiv Post in 2011 that Spolsky had an advertising debt with the publication, but wouldn’t disclose the amount.

And a former employee who has since moved back to Canada said Spolsky owes him $4,000 in back pay.

Illarion Shulakewych said Spolsky didn’t pay him for the last four months of his IT employment. “Numerous times I asked for at least partial payment to show good will in an honest effort to pay off his debt, but nothing,” Shulakewych said in an e-mailed message.

Spolsky said that Shulakewych was working at other jobs and servicing other companies’ servers at his office so he believes he owes nothing.

There are 43 Rotary clubs in Ukraine and some 40,000 clubs worldwide.

Kyiv Post staff writer Mark Rachkevych can be reached at rachkevych@kyivpost.com.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127684/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 18:02:34 +0300 http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127683/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 17:44:00 +0300
Melia added that U.S. representatives have made a number of public statements on selective justice in Ukraine and expressed their concern while meeting with the Ukrainian government officials.

At the same time, Melia said that the Ukrainian people would choose the further path for their country's development, and not Washington or Brussels.

"Neither Washington nor Brussels will make this decision. And I hope that no other country in the world will [make this decision]," he said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/127682/ Politics Wed, 16 May 2012 17:32:56 +0300
He and six more members of the delegation, despite the rejection of their application, came to the hospital to meet with Tymoshenko's supporters, who welcomed them by chanting "Freedom to Yulia!"

Dechert said that the parliament of Canada will hold hearings on the political and economic situation in Ukraine in two weeks.

The members of the parliamentary delegation to Ukraine represent three parties and all regions of Canada. The delegation came to visit Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv.

"We came to Ukraine to express our concern about the fate of the Ukrainian people, to promise that we will work to help it and to make sure that elections in autumn this year are fair, transparent and democratic. We are here today to express our concern about persecution of Mrs. Tymoshenko, and we are also concerned about the conviction of [former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy] Lutsenko, [former Ukrainian Acting Defense Minister Valeriy] Ivaschenko, and others. We think that this does no good to democracy in Ukraine. We are calling on the government of Ukraine to ensure that Mrs. Tymoshenko receives the necessary medical treatment and to release her," Dechert said.

According to him, the Ukrainian authorities explained their refusal to allow the delegation a meeting with Tymoshenko by the unreasonableness of hosting the visits of two international delegations in one day.

As reported, a delegation from PACE is to visit Tymoshenko on May 16.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/127681/ Politics Wed, 16 May 2012 17:28:19 +0300
The appeal filed by the ex-minister's defense lawyers has thus been rejected, and Pechersky District Court ruling fully upheld.

On May 16, the court read out the resolution part of the ruling, without the motivation part.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/opinion/op_ed/detail/127680/ OP-ED Wed, 16 May 2012 17:07:51 +0300
Relations between Ukraine and the EU have reached their lowest point yet. And Kyiv is likely to take a number of new steps that could bring these relations to complete deadlock. Waiting for the Ukrainian parliamentary elections in the hopes that they will usher in improvement may not be the best approach. It could be time for the EU to come up with a Plan B.

Read more here.
]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/127679/ World Wed, 16 May 2012 16:56:07 +0300
Workers in India, Singapore and Saudi Arabia were the most likely to say their jobs involved interacting with people in other countries, with 59 percent, 55 percent and 50 percent saying so, respectively.

But only nine percent in Japan and 13 percent in Russia said their work required communication outside the country.

"The most revealing aspect of this survey is how English has emerged as the default language for business around the world," said Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Global Public Affairs which conducted the poll for Reuters.

The survey of 16,344 employed adults in 26 countries showed that 67 percent, or just over two-thirds, of workers who deal with people beyond their borders said English was the language used most often, with Spanish a very distant second at five percent.

Nearly as many, 61 percent, said the language used for such interactions was different from their native one.

Bricker said the findings suggest "that all those in the English-speaking world who suggested that our children should learn Mandarin or Japanese to have successful careers were beaten to the punch by the Chinese, in particular, learning English first."

While more than three quarters of people in North America said they used English most often to communicate with those in other countries, 63 percent in China said the same thing. The same was true for France.

More than two thirds of workers in the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa also defaulted to English.

In Latin America only one-third said English was most common when dealing with people in other countries. In Argentina and Mexico the choice was Spanish, in Brazil, Portuguese.

The survey showed that people with higher levels of income or education were among the most likely to say English was most commonly used for foreign business relationships.

Gender and age had no bearing on the dominant language for conducting business.

Countries surveyed included Indonesia, Turkey, the United States, Sweden, Great Britain, Spain, Canada and Italy among others.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/127678/ News Wed, 16 May 2012 16:47:01 +0300
During the screening, British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen was causing chaos on the nearby Croisette promenade, where he rode a camel and adopted the character of his latest alter ego General Aladeen, an outrageously offensive North African dictator.

The publicity stunt, captured by dozens of photographers and cameramen, was typical of the kind of publicity stunts for which Cannes has become famous.

In addition to the 22 movies in the main competition lineup, hundreds more screen in lesser selections and on the huge market place, and getting the media's attention can make or break a movie's prospects.

Anderson, presenting a film for the first time in Cannes, had no such challenge, having been handed the coveted opening competition slot and boasting a cast that includes Bill Murray, Bruce Willis and Tilda Swinton.

His light-hearted, surreal picture also features two young actors marking their movie debuts -- Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward were just 12 when they auditioned for the parts of Sam and Suzy, respectively.

"I didn't know that I wanted to become an actor until I actually started working on the movie, and that's when I really began to realise that this is what I love doing," Hayward told reporters at a press conference.

SAM AND SUZY RUN AWAY

In Moonrise Kingdom, Sam, an oddball and unpopular orphaned boy scout, runs away from his summer camp to meet up with Suzy, a girl with whom he has fallen in love.

Suzy's parents, played by Murray and Frances McDormand, consider her to be a problem child, and she has no qualms in leaving them to be with Sam.

The young couple set up camp, read books, become friends, and experience sexual awakening away from the troubled world of adults, but when the grown-ups eventually catch up with them their dramatic adventure does not end.

Murray, who has appeared in most of Anderson's films including "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Rushmore", joked that the director had become his sole employer, although he did not get paid for his troubles.

"I really don't get any other work but through Wes. I just wait by the phone," he said in his trademark deadpan delivery.

"These are what we call art films. I don't know if you know what those are. They're films where you work very, very long hours for no money and...all we get is this trip to Cannes."

He also welcomed Willis into the Anderson "family".

"Bruce is a serious crazy movie star, and for him to play the part of the town cop in this one-car town was fun, it was great and it really pays off.

"He really does have the great heroic 'Die Hard' moment at the end of this silly little kids' film. It's one of the biggest laughs of any film I've ever been in."

For Willis, best known as an action hero, the chance to work on a low-budget, low-profile movie was a welcome change.

"I found it really refreshing to be directed, to be asked to perform the part in a really specific way," he told reporters.

"In a world where a lot of films where you don't rehearse and no one really talks to you about it, it was so nice to be asked to work in a certain way.

"It (the film) is about love, it's about new love and young love and love that has gotten mixed up and messed up. It's all still the same story of how everybody needs to be loved in some way."]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127677/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 16:34:42 +0300
In particular, it applies the amnesty primarily to the most exposed and socially vulnerable categories of prisoners: the disabled, poor, pregnant women, cancer patients, those who have minor or elderly dependents.

"Today, there are only two acquittals per 1,000 guilty verdicts in Ukraine. The law will allow releasing 13,000 people convicted of insignificant crimes," he said.

Moreover, this bill will allow stopping political persecutions in Ukraine, he said.

"The law will set Ukraine free from political, and in the future, from economic isolation that is looming over our country. It removes the responsibility from persons who today are being politically persecuted by the authorities. We are talking about the release of [former Ukrainian Premier Yulia] Tymoshenko and [former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy] Lutsenko," Yatseniuk said.

However, the bill was backed by only 142 Verkhovna Rada members instead of the required minimum of 226 votes.

According to the Ukrainian State Penitentiary Service, by February 1, 2012, there had been 116,107 people held at 142 prisons, including 12,600 who were sentenced to more than ten years; 1,763 people are serving a life sentence; and 987 are jailed for less than a year, the Front for Change press service recalled.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/127676/ Ukraine Wed, 16 May 2012 16:22:02 +0300
The first two An-32 aircraft were sent to Iraq in November and December 2011. Two more planes were delivered to Iraq in April 2012. A sixth plane is to be delivered to the customer in June 2012.

The An-32 multi-purpose aircraft has a maximum commercial carrying capacity of 7.5 tonnes, its flight range is 800 km, and its cruising speed is 470-530 km per hour. The aircraft can carry 42 military servicemen.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/127675/ World Wed, 16 May 2012 16:09:55 +0300
The bill will now go to parliament.

A timetable agreed between NATO and Afghanistan in 2010 called for the withdrawal of foreign combat troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, when Afghan security forces are supposed to have full control.

NATO leaders meet on May 20-21 in Chicago to try to agree on how to fund Afghanistan after the foreign combat troops leave.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/business/bus_general/detail/127674/ General Wed, 16 May 2012 15:54:42 +0300
The basic scenario is that Ukraine will be able to produce 15 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas a year at the two fields, he said.

"The optimistic scenario foresees the production of around 50 bcm of gas in the peak years. Per our calculations, somewhere in 2020 we will be supplying all our gas needs," the minister said.

Shell and Chevron intend to drill around 5,000 wells at the two fields during the geological prospecting stage, which will exceed the government's original expectations, Stavytsky said.

"The winners' investment proposals were twice as good as the figures built into the cabinet of ministers' resolution [of November 30, which laid out the PSA conditions for the two fields," he said. According to that resolution, the minimum amount of investment required by an investor for the geological prospecting of Yuzovska was Hr 1.6 billion, and for Oleske Hr 1.3 billion.

"These amounts were at least twice as much in the winners' tender-proposals," Stavytsky said.

Shell and Chevron's proposal involve the government stake in recovered product at more than 30%, where the required minimum was 16.5%.

Secretary for the interagency PSA commission Volodymyr Ihnaschenko said that serious economic sanctions for the non-fulfillment or non-timely fulfillment of obligations would be built into the agreements with Shell and Chevron.

On February 23, Ukraine announced PSA tenders for hydrocarbons to be produced at the Yuzovska and Oleske fields. A few days prior to that, SPK GeoService was announced Nadra Ukrainy's partner to create joint ventures that will serve as one of the sides in future PSAs.

In the development of the Yuzovska field, the projected resources of which are estimated at 4.054 trillion cubic meters of various types of gas, there are plans to raise at least Hr 1.6 billion in investment at the geological study stage and Hr 30 billion at the industrial development stage.

For Oleske, the forecast resources of which are estimated at 2.98 trillion cu m of shale gas, there are plans to raise at least Hr 1.3 billion in investment at the geological study stage and Hr 25 billion at the industrial development stage.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/127673/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 16 May 2012 15:50:27 +0300
Back in the days when Viktor Yanukovych was still seen as a figure for hope by many in Germany and Yulia Tymoshenko was still free, the President of Ukraine was more positive about Germany than he is now.

Read more here.]]>