http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ News http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122285/ World Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:09:03 +0200
Under the agreement ending the walkout Sunday, contract workers will receive pay raises and improved benefits.

Israel's labor federation launched the strike on Wednesday, shutting down national and municipal government offices, banks, the stock exchange, rail service and seaports, and disrupting travel at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The Israeli Chambers of Commerce said the strike would cost the economy $100 million a day.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122284/ News Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:32:19 +0200
"There were no obvious signs of any criminal intent," Rosen said.

Houston's publicist, Kristen Foster, said the cause of death was unknown.

Rosen said police received an emergency call from hotel security about Houston at 3:43 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics who were already at the hotel because of a Grammy party were not able to resuscitate her, he said.

Houston's death came on the eve of music's biggest night — the Grammy Awards. It's a showcase where she once reigned, and where she will be remembered Sunday in a tribute by Jennifer Hudson, organizers said.

Her longtime mentor Clive Davis went ahead with his annual concert at the same hotel where her body was found. He dedicated the evening to her and asked for a moment of silence as a photo of the singer, hands wide open, looking to the sky, appeared on the screen.

Houston was supposed to appear at the gala, and Davis had told The Associated Press that she would perhaps perform: "It's her favorite night of the year ... (so) who knows by the end of the evening," he had said.

Houston had been at rehearsals for the show Thursday, coaching singers Brandy and Monica, according to a person who was at the event but was not authorized to speak publicly about it. The person said Houston looked disheveled, was sweating profusely and liquor and cigarettes could be smelled on her breath.

Two days ago, she performed at a pre-Grammy party with singer Kelly Price. Singer Kenny Lattimore hosted the event, and said Houston sang the gospel classic "Jesus Loves Me" with Price, her voice registering softly, not with the same power it had at its height.


Lattimore said Houston was gregarious and was in a good mood, surrounded by friends and family, including daughter Bobbi Kristina.

"She just seemed like she was having a great night that night," said Lattimore, who said he was in shock over her death.

Aretha Franklin, her godmother, also said she was stunned.

"I just can't talk about it now," Franklin said in a short statement. "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen."

The Rev. Al Sharpton said he would call for a national prayer Sunday morning during a service at Second Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

"The morning of the Grammys, the world should pause and pray for the memory of a gifted songbird," Sharpton said in a statement.

In a statement, Recording Academy President and CEO Neil Portnow said Houston "was one of the world's greatest pop singers of all time who leaves behind a robust musical soundtrack spanning the past three decades."

At her peak, Houston was the golden girl of the music industry. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, she was one of the world's best-selling artists. She wowed audiences with effortless, powerful and peerless vocals rooted in the black church but made palatable to the masses with a pop sheen.

Her success carried her beyond music to movies, where she starred in hits like "The Bodyguard" and "Waiting to Exhale."

She had the perfect voice and the perfect image: a gorgeous singer who had sex appeal but was never overtly sexual, who maintained perfect poise.


She influenced a generation of younger singers, from Christina Aguilera to Mariah Carey, who when she first came out sounded so much like Houston that many thought it was Houston.

But by the end of her career, Houston became a stunning cautionary tale of the toll of drug use. Her album sales plummeted and the hits stopped coming; her once serene image was shattered by a wild demeanor and bizarre public appearances. She confessed to abusing cocaine, marijuana and pills, and her once-pristine voice became raspy and hoarse, unable to hit the high notes as she had during her prime.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 interview with then-husband Brown by her side.

It was a tragic fall for a superstar who was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 55 million records sold in the United States alone.

She seemed to be born into greatness. In addition to being Franklin's goddaughter, she was the daughter of gospel singer Cissy Houston and the cousin of 1960s pop diva Dionne Warwick.

Houston first started singing in the church as a child. In her teens, she sang backup for Chaka Khan, Jermaine Jackson and others, in addition to modeling. It was around that time that music mogul Clive Davis first heard Houston perform.

"The time that I first saw her singing in her mother's act in a club ... it was such a stunning impact," Davis told "Good Morning America."

"To hear this young girl breathe such fire into this song. I mean, it really sent the proverbial tingles up my spine," he added.


Before long, the rest of the country would feel it, too. Houston made her album debut in 1985 with "Whitney Houston," which sold millions and spawned hit after hit. "Saving All My Love for You" brought her her first Grammy, for best female pop vocal. "How Will I Know," ''You Give Good Love" and "The Greatest Love of All" also became hit singles.

Another multiplatinum album, "Whitney," came out in 1987 and included hits like "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody."

The New York Times wrote that Houston "possesses one of her generation's most powerful gospel-trained voices, but she eschews many of the churchier mannerisms of her forerunners. She uses ornamental gospel phrasing only sparingly, and instead of projecting an earthy, tearful vulnerability, communicates cool self-assurance and strength, building pop ballads to majestic, sustained peaks of intensity."

Her decision not to follow the more soulful inflections of singers like Franklin drew criticism by some who saw her as playing down her black roots to go pop and reach white audiences. The criticism would become a constant refrain through much of her career. She was even booed during the "Soul Train Awards" in 1989.

"Sometimes it gets down to that, you know?" she told Katie Couric in 1996. "You're not black enough for them. I don't know. You're not R&B enough. You're very pop. The white audience has taken you away from them."

Some saw her 1992 marriage to former New Edition member and soul crooner Bobby Brown as an attempt to refute those critics. It seemed to be an odd union; she was seen as pop's pure princess while he had a bad-boy image and already had children of his own. (The couple only had one daughter, Bobbi Kristina, born in 1993.) Over the years, he would be arrested several times, on charges ranging from DUI to failure to pay child support.


But Houston said their true personalities were not as far apart as people may have believed.

"When you love, you love. I mean, do you stop loving somebody because you have different images? You know, Bobby and I basically come from the same place," she told Rolling Stone in 1993. "You see somebody, and you deal with their image, that's their image. It's part of them, it's not the whole picture. I am not always in a sequined gown. I am nobody's angel. I can get down and dirty. I can get raunchy."

Brown was getting ready to perform at a New Edition reunion tour in Southaven, Mississippi, as news spread about Houston's death. The group went ahead with its performance, though Brown appeared overcome with emotion when his voice cracked at the beginning of a ballad and he left the stage.

Before his departure, he told the sell-out crowd: "First of all, I want to tell you that I love you all. Second, I would like to say, I love you Whitney. The hardest thing for me to do is to come on this stage."

Brown said he decided to perform because fans had shown their loyalty to the group for more than 25 years. During an intermission, one of Houston's early hits, "You Give Good Love," played over the speakers. Fans stood up and began singing along.

It would take several years for the public to see the "down and dirty" side of Houston. Her moving 1991 rendition of "The Star Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, amid the first Gulf War, set a new standard and once again reaffirmed her as America's sweetheart.

In 1992, she became a star in the acting world with "The Bodyguard." Despite mixed reviews, the story of a singer (Houston) guarded by a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) was an international success.


It also gave her perhaps her most memorable hit: a searing, stunning rendition of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," which sat atop the charts for weeks. It was Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal, and the "Bodyguard" soundtrack was named album of the year.

She returned to the big screen in 1995-96 with "Waiting to Exhale" and "The Preacher's Wife." Both spawned soundtrack albums, and another hit studio album, "My Love Is Your Love," in 1998, brought her a Grammy for best female R&B vocal for the cut "It's Not Right But It's Okay."

But during these career and personal highs, Houston was using drugs. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2009, she said by the time "The Preacher's Wife" was released, "(doing drugs) was an everyday thing. ... I would do my work, but after I did my work, for a whole year or two, it was every day. ... I wasn't happy by that point in time. I was losing myself."

In the interview, Houston blamed her rocky marriage to Brown, which included a charge of domestic abuse against Brown in 1993. They divorced in 2007.

Houston would go to rehab twice before she would declare herself drug-free to Winfrey in 2009. But in the interim, there were missed concert dates, a stop at an airport due to drugs, and public meltdowns.

She was so startlingly thin during a 2001 Michael Jackson tribute concert that rumors spread she had died the next day. Her crude behavior and jittery appearance on Brown's reality show, "Being Bobby Brown," was an example of her sad decline. Her Sawyer interview, where she declared "crack is whack," was often parodied. She dropped out of the spotlight for a few years.

Houston staged what seemed to be a successful comeback with the 2009 album "I Look To You." The album debuted on the top of the charts, and would eventually go platinum.

Things soon fell apart. A concert to promote the album on "Good Morning America" went awry as Houston's voice sounded ragged and off-key. She blamed an interview with Winfrey for straining her voice.


A world tour launched overseas, however, only confirmed suspicions that Houston had lost her treasured gift, as she failed to hit notes and left many fans unimpressed; some walked out. Canceled concert dates raised speculation that she may have been abusing drugs, but she denied those claims and said she was in great shape, blaming illness for cancellations.

Houston was to make her return to film in the remake of the classic movie "Sparkle." Filming on the movie, which stars former "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks, recently wrapped.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122283/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:56:46 +0200
He didn't mention Saturday when the next meeting with Central American leaders will be.

Perez Molina said he will bring the subject up with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes when Funes visits Monday.

The Guatemalan president said the war on drugs and all the money and technology received from the U.S. has not diminished drug trafficking in the area.

He said drug cartels are to blame for the high rates of violence in Guatemala, which has a homicide rate of 45 per 100,000 people.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122282/ News Sat, 11 Feb 2012 20:43:55 +0200 Guests mingled alongside a wall of pink-heeled pumps or stood before large computer screens to virtually rummage through the 53-year-old icon's wardrobe, from career to couture. The technology produced parting gifts of photos for her New York Fashion Week friends to preserve their Barbie moments.


The dream closet tech was a demonstration of what kids can do at home on their own computers if they visit BarbieWow.com and have webcams.

"Everything's awesome. I picked a pink dress. I have it at home," said 7-year-old Amiri Small, who attended the packed party with her dad and 11-year-old sister, Leila.

Dad was clearly enjoying the dad points he racked up for making it past Barbie's sparkly pink door rope and onto her pink carpet.

There were plenty of Barbie moments to go around among the crowd.

Steven Stolman, president of the home decor and accessories line Scalamandre, is known more for his signature zebra prints than the Barbie he was asked to style as a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America several years ago. He chose a little black number.

"We tracked it down in a Target in Milwaukee," said Stolman, whose two older sisters were Barbie fans growing up.

Among girls growing up with Barbie, who didn't spend at least some time during the impressionable years styling or dyeing the doll's hair? But what did Stolman do?

What brothers are supposed to, of course: "I used to pull Barbie's head off."


Stephanie Cota, Barbie's senior vice president of marketing, has been rolling out her gal at Fashion Week for several years. There was a runway show in 2009 for the doll's 50th anniversary, featuring outfits by 50 designers who included Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and Calvin Klein.

"What better way to celebrate a fashion icon than here at Fashion Week," Cota said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122281/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:36:35 +0200
The Sun's deputy editor Geoff Webster, picture editor John Edwards, chief reporter John Kay, chief foreign correspondent Nick Parker and reporter John Sturgis were those arrested, News International CEO Tom Mockridge said in a message emailed to staff.

Executives moved quickly to reject claims that Murdoch could decide to close down the newspaper. In July, he shuttered the 168-year-old News of The World tabloid amid public outrage when the extent of its phone hacking of celebrities, public figures and crime victims was exposed.

Mockridge said he had been given a "personal assurance today from Rupert Murdoch about his total commitment to continue to own and publish The Sun newspaper." Mockridge acknowledged that the tabloid and its employees were "facing our greatest challenge," but urged them not to prejudge the outcome of the police investigation.

A 39-year-old female employee at Britain's defense ministry, a 36-year-old male member of the armed forces and a 39-year-old serving police officer with Surrey Police, were also arrested Saturday, police said. The development follows the arrest of four current and former journalists at The Sun newspaper last month in connection with the same bribery inquiry.

Sun editor Dominic Mohan expressed his alarm at the arrests of newspaper employees, but insisted the six-day-a-week newspaper would continue its work.

"I'm as shocked as anyone by today's arrests, but am determined to lead The Sun through these difficult times," Mohan said in a statement. "I have a brilliant staff and we have a duty to serve our readers and will continue to do that. Our focus is on putting out Monday's newspaper."

Two people familiar with the matter, both of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the issue, said Murdoch was scheduled to head to London in the near future to spend time with the company's journalists. One person explained that the trip had been planned for some time and wasn't in reaction to the latest arrests.

News Corp. declined to comment on Murdoch's travel plans, or on whether he planned to address staff at The Sun.

A former News of the World executive, who also requested anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigations and said he was in touch with the Sun's senior staff — claimed that management there were "fighting to halt morale collapse" at the tabloid, describing Mohan as "somewhat shellshocked" by the developments.

Police said a total of 21 people have now been arrested in their bribery probe — including three police officers — though none has yet been charged. They include Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International; ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson — who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief; and journalists from both the News of the World and The Sun.

Investigators said the inquiry — which is running in parallel to investigations into phone hacking and alleged email hacking — was now widened its remit. It was initially focused on whether reporters had illegally paid police officers for information, but will now examine whether other public officials were also targeted.

Any convictions for bribery offenses could have repercussions for News Corp. in the U.S., where the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could be used to impose hundreds of millions of dollars in fines even in cases where activity has occurred overseas.

In a statement, police confirmed the latest arrests came after information was provided to detectives by the management standards committee of Murdoch's News Corp., set up to investigate alleged malpractice.

News Corp. confirmed that it had supplied the police with information, but insisted it would "continue to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to protect legitimate journalistic privilege and sources, private or personal information and legal privilege."

Britain's National Union of Journalists claimed some News International staff felt let down by managers. "They are furious at what they see as a monumental betrayal on the part of News International," the union's general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said.

"Once again Rupert Murdoch is trying to pin the blame on individual journalists hoping that a few scalps will salvage his corporate reputation," she said.

The five journalists from The Sun — aged between 45 and 68 — are being quizzed on suspicion of offenses of corruption and aiding and abetting misconduct in a public office. Police said the three public servants were being questioned on suspicion of misconduct in a public office and corruption offenses.

Assistant Chief Constable Jerry Kirkby, of Surrey Police, confirmed the police officer being questioned was a member of his force. Surrey Police was responsible for the investigation into missing 13-year-old girl Milly Dowler, who was later found murdered. A wave of public revulsion over the disclosure that reporters had intercepted her voicemails in 2002 led Murdoch to close down the News of The World.

Britain's defense ministry declined to comment on the arrest of the defense official.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122280/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:21:29 +0200
The northern industrial city has seen violent worker strikes in the past.

The security official says they will be referred to the state prosecutor's office. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.
]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/122279/ Ukraine abroad Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:37:25 +0200
Read the story here]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122278/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:50:00 +0200
ACTA has been under negotiation for years and it still in the process of being signed. The United States, Japan, South Korea and others say it is needed to harmonize international standards to protect the rights of those who produce music, movies, pharmaceuticals, fashion, and a range of other products that often fall victim to piracy and intellectual property theft.

Strong opposition to the treaty suddenly emerged in Poland last month and is now spreading across Europe, where protests are taking place in many cities. Critics say they fear it will lead to online censorship and overly harsh punishments for those who use copyrighted material.

Some of the first to gather Saturday were in the bitter cold of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. In Germany, a few thousand people protested in downtown Berlin, some with sticking tape over their mouths or wearing Guy Fawkes masks. They carried placards such as "Stop ACTA," ''Right to Remix" and "ACTA: the rule of law was yesterday."

A protest organizer, Tillmann Mueller-Kuckelberg, said the movement against the agreement was "a broad civil rights alliance that has come together out of spontaneous outrage at this project."

"We have the protests in Poland to thank above all for what is happening in Europe and worldwide at the moment," he said.

"A lot of people in other European countries woke up then, and we hope worldwide that the protests will lead to the ACTA agreement being stopped."

Germany's Foreign Ministry said Friday that the country had held off on signing ACTA after the Justice Ministry voiced concerns. An official signature is needed before the deal can go to Parliament for approval.

In Vilnius, hundreds rallied in front of a government building, some carrying signs that said "Stop ACTA."


Marches also took place in the Polish cities of Warsaw, Szczecin, Poznan and Gdansk.

"Down with the censorship of Big Brother," said one of the banners in Warsaw, where about 150 people gathered in front of the presidential palace.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/ukraine/detail/122276/ Ukraine abroad Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:09:51 +0200 Read the full story here.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/122277/ Ukraine Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:04:31 +0200

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The Ukrainian troop will be re-deployed in several stages,the Defense Ministry press service said.

"This is connected with the fact that the landing field closest to our future base is not capable to service the aircraft of the Ruslan type,” said lieutenant colonel Serhiy Shapovalov, the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent head, who left on the Ruslan aircraft as a part of the advance party.

“First we'll fly to Uganda, and then using the UN Stabilization Mission's planes – Hercules and Il-76 military transport aircraft – will fly to the Congo," he added.

Shapovalov said that 157 military officers will represent the 18th detached Ukrainian helicopter troop in the Congo, which is equipped four Mi-24 military helicopters and 43 vehicles.

The mission of the Ukrainian peacekeepers in Congo is aimed at: airborne reconnaissance, observation, fire support operations of land forces, support of UN Mission troops, including rescue operations and escorting of humanitarian aid deliveries.

The Ukrainian helicopter troop will cooperate with an Indian infantry brigade providing for air support of land operations.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon passed a relevant letter to Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych during the recent session of the UN Assembly General in New York, asking to Ukraine to send its peacekeepers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

On December 22, 2011, the Ukrainian parliament approved the decision of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to send a peacekeeping contingent to participate in the MONUSCO.

According to the presidential decree, 200 Ukrainian servicemen will be sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The costs for Ukrainian peacekeepers' participation in the MONUSCO will be covered from the Ukrainian national budget and later compensated by the United Nations.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Yezhel said that Ukrainian peacekeepers would stay in the Congo until June 30, 2012.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/122275/ Russia and former Soviet Union Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:15:35 +0200
The Ministry said Saturday that the adoptions should resume only after Moscow and Washington sign an accord that allows Russian monitors to visit the homes of adopted children.

A Pennsylvanian couple was convicted in November of the involuntary manslaughter of their son adopted from Russia.

In 2010, a Tennessee woman sent her allegedly violent adopted son on a plane back to Russia — unaccompanied by an adult.

U.S. citizens have adopted nearly 50,000 Russian children since the early 1990s.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122274/ Politics Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:34:42 +0200
Zalusky also reported that Canadian government asked the Ukrainian Canadian Congress to select specialists who speak fluent Ukrainian and submit information to them.

The state penitentiary service said that the examination to be held on February 13.

Earlier, the Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) announced that it was ready to organize an examination of Tymoshenko by international and Ukrainian experts.

According to the PGO, experts from Germany and Canada will arrive in Ukraine on February 13 to examine Tymoshenko jointly with Ukrainian experts.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122273/ Politics Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:18:35 +0200
He said that earlier an option to hand the subpoena by US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton at a meeting with Yanukovych at a conference in Munich was discussed.

"It was one of the options that we had discussed," he said.

Vlasenko said that task number one is to hand a subpoena to another defender in the lawsuit filed – businessmen Dmytro Firtash.

"The hearing will commence in 21 days after handing a subpoena to the last defender," Vlasenko said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122272/ News Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:38:44 +0200
Personal exhibitions of both masters started in Pinchuk Art Center on Feb. 4, and will run through April 1.

If you are like most people, you probably feel baffled by the abstract shapes, random lines and nebulous objects dubbed as art. But artist Gary Hume promises revelations for those who put forth an effort.

Hume remarked that he wished that every visitor would wear lead shoes before entering his show, so that they would be forced to linger in front

of his paintings and ponder introspectively. Instead of revealing the meaning of his paintings, he entrusts the viewer with freedom to experience his art with pure emotion, which is not difficult given the arresting nature of candy-colored paintings.

The inspiration for Hume’s work are doors, particularly hospital doors and has created life-size versions of doors in all colors and shapes. One of them, entitled A Couple, involves two shiny aluminum strips with two green circles. Having trouble deciphering a couple here? Hume offers help solving the mystery: it’s an old couple who met at the hospital and despite sicknessea and age have a pleasant conversation.

Another artwork inculdes multi-colored fragments of a rainbow jumping out of white walls. Don’t look too hard for a message; Hume claims the pieces of the broken rainbow are meant to simply be looked at.

Hume is also bold enough to put a large aluminum circled covered with black glossy paint entitled “The Whole”, explaining that it encompasses the entirety of the universe. Why paint elaborate paintings he asks? It’s has all been done before.

In a work representing Osama Bin Laden’s death, Hume stretched his conceptual boundaries painting green surface with colorful balloons and a brown rectangle in the corner. With no sign of a terrorist the work became Anxiety and Horse. Right next to it, the president is represented by rich blue with two black dots and one white.

In the pastel-colored series American Tan, Hume exposes the invisible imperfections of sports cheerleaders, admired as models of beauty and fitness in the US. But instead of taut bodies and blond hair there is a sculpture of a leg fragment, bent unnaturally with a pompom on the end.

Hume’s cheerful colors sometimes clash with faceless figures, fragments and distortions of the human body implying that even seemingly perfect people, relationships, and feelings have flaws, but are often masked by superficial beauty.

Jeff Wall

Unlike a National Geographic photographer , who waits for a perfect moment to shoot his photograph, 65 year old Jeff Wall artificially creates the setting selecting every detail, prop and planning his composition in advance. His photographic tableaux, as he calls them, reflect the slice of his Vancouver society, Wall follows classical rules of composition.

Instead of Greek and Roman heroes in imperial settings, ordinary modern Canadians appear siphoning fuel and dancing in sports gyms. Some compositions stunningly resemble some classical masterpieces.

A photo called Boxing, of two teenagers boxing within a pristine modern interior , is awfully similar to Jacques Louis David’s Oath of Horatii, and position of people on the grass in Tatoos and Shadows allude to Manet’s Dejeuner sur L’Herbe.

When Wall saw illuminated ads against light boxes around Europe, he decided to mold his photo transparencies over the boxes, making his kind of photo even more similar to a bulky tableau. Six of those are displayed at the Pinchuk center.

Wall is fascinating because he reveals quirky pockets in his society, so foreign and even repelling to us. In the vast-scaled Band and Crowd dorky nerds and hipsters with beer are spaced in the gym hall frozen in awkward moves to the local band rocking out on guitars. Often these pathetic scenes make you cringe but also provide the voyeuristic pleasure of stealing a secret peek behind the curtains of a troubled community.

Wall examines the themes of maturity and pubescence marking adulthood with the photo “Pawnshop” where a middle-class musician makes the painful sacrifice of giving away his guitar.

Wall’s forte, without doubt, is zooming in crisply and precisely at mundane scenes and objects imbued with issues moving and pertinent universally.

Undoubtedly, both exhibitions are worth visiting — even just to see that modern art does not have to be repulsive. Wall's photos will be easier to comprehend. They open up a world that many Ukrainians would find intriguing. Hume's masterpieces will be well received by those with a vivid imagination.

Pinchuk Art Center

1/3-2, Velyka Vasylkivska / Baseyna vul.,

tel.: 590-08-58

Open Tuesday through Sunday from12:00until9 p.m

Admission is free.ore details on http://pinchukartcentre.org/

Kyiv Post Staff Writer Maria Manzhos can be reached atmanzhos@kyivpost.com
]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122271/ News Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:27:34 +0200
Already released in the U.S., Jolie's directorial debut is a drama about a Serb soldier who finds his ex-lover, a Muslim Bosnian woman, among sex slaves in a camp.

Jolie said of the Bosnian premiere: "I'm nervous and I'm excited ... I'll probably cry through the entire thing."

She added: "I'll be very, very moved because, of course, a lot of the people coming are the victims of war so it's going to be heavy."]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/122270/ Russia and former Soviet Union Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:24:22 +0200
The members of the PACE pre-electoral delegation have met with four of the five presidential candidates (Vladimir Zhirinovsky, Gennady Zyuganov, Sergei Mironov, and Mikhail Prokhorov), Central Elections Commission Chairman Vladimir Churov, human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin, and Heidi Tagliavini, the head of the OSCE ODIHR mission.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122269/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:04:10 +0200
A serving police officer, a female employee at the Ministry of Defense and a 36-year-old member of the armed forces were also arrested in an early morning swoop.

London's Metropolitan Police said all eight people are being questioned, and confirmed they were detained following information provided to detectives by the management standards committee of News Corp.

The committee "will continue to ensure that all appropriate steps are taken to protect legitimate journalistic privilege and sources, private or personal information and legal privilege," News Corp. said in a statement.

Police said their investigation relates to alleged corrupt payments made to police officers and other officials by journalists. It is part of a series of police investigations sparked by Britain's tabloid phone hacking scandal.
]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122268/ Politics Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:37:42 +0200

"Three countries have signed contracts. We have not studied these 120 contracts. We have to hold new elections and say that this does not suit us at all. Let's get this clear, it will be good for us both. If they decline, that will be the end of the conversation. If we begin the process of mutual negotiations, we will start moving in a positive direction step by step," Azarov said.

Azarov said Ukraine's wish to resume partnership with Russia and the CIS countries can in no way negatively impact Ukraine's European integration. He recalled that Ukraine is for the creation of a free trade zone with both the CIS countries and the EU and also with some other countries.

Speaking about the Customs Union, Azarov also said that "no one is making anyone enter anything" at the level of Ukrainian-Russian bilateral relations.

Azarov said issues relating to Ukraine's integration policy are determined primarily by the prospects of its economic development.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122267/ Politics Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:26:45 +0200
He said that the EU sees that another two criminal cases against the ex-premier are opened.

Teixeira said that in the context it is unclear when the Association Agreement with the EU will be signed and ratified.

"When we started the talks five years ago, the main question was when we were able to finish them. No one supposed then that problems with its signing, ratification and carrying it into effect could appear," the diplomat said.

Commenting on statements of Ukrainian leadership that the fate of the Association Agreement depends on the EU, Teixeira emphasized that this is not true.

He assured that despite its internal problems the EU is ready to develop relations with Ukraine and support its plans to approach the EU. However, Ukraine should respect and observe basic values of Europe, he added.

"Ukraine is important for the EU, and its remains a top priority for the EU," he said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/122266/ Politics Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:23:07 +0200
Azarov reiterated that "the chief sanitary inspector should be in charge of the sanitary situation in the country, not interfere in political relations between countries."]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/business/bus_general/detail/122265/ General Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:40:20 +0200
"We recognize the agreements that have been reached as legally void until we receive exhaustive explanations from the Ukrainian executive authorities," Onishchenko said.

Azarov said Russia and Ukraine will reach agreements on the supply of Ukrainian cheese, calling these products "high-quality".

"There is no palm oil in it. However, unneeded barriers are being created. Sooner or later we will reach agreements and remove those barriers," Azarov said while delivering a lecture in the Latvian University in Riga on Friday.

Azarov said the conflict with Russia on the supply of Ukrainian cheese is "a common practice of relations between large trade partners, when companies lobby various restrictive measures in the government, trying to protect their market."


Foreign Minister Hryschenko said the absence of Ukrainian cheese on the Russian market will hurt Russian consumers.

"I was surprised by the statements made by the head of Rospotrebnadzor on Ukrainian cheese," Hryschenko said while delivering a lecture in the Kyiv Institute of Foreign Relations on Friday.

According to earlier reports, Rospotrebnadzor has begun seizing from circulation in Russia and has suspended the import into Russia of cheese made by the Ukrainian producers Prometey (Chernihiv region), Pyriatyn Cheese Factory (Poltava region), and OOO Gadiachsyr (Poltava region). Onishchenko said these products do not meet the Russian technical regulations on milk and dairy products.

On Jan. 9 Onischenko had negotiations with the Ukrainian agrarian policy minister, reaching an agreement that Rospotrebnadzor officials will travel to Ukraine to inspect local cheese manufacturers who supply their products to Russia.

Onishchenko said the meeting participants had developed measures to resolve the situation with the quality f Ukrainian cheese and their supply to the territory of Russia.

Earlier Onishchenko said the supply to Russia of Ukrainian cheese manufactured by three enterprises had been suspended. He said products not meeting the Russian legislative requirements are being removed from circulation.


Ukrainian cheese has been found in 43 regions of Russia, according to Onishchenko.

"We have taken 258 cheese samples. Cheese taken from ten territories was found to contain non-dairy oils," he said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122264/ World Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:50:38 +0200

Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and pictures of Supreme Leader AyatollahAli Khameneichanted "Death toIsrael" and "Death toAmerica".

"In the coming days the world will witness Iran's announcement of its very important and very major nuclear achievements," Ahmadinejad told a crowd atTehran'sAzadi (Freedom) Square in a speech relayed live on state television.He gave no details.



Tension with the West over Iran's disputed nuclear work has risen in recent weeks. TheUnites Statesand its European allies have imposed new sanctions to try to forceTehranback to talks before it produces enough nuclear material for an atomic bomb.

Iran says its nuclear programme has only peaceful purposes.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/122263/ Ukraine Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:44:29 +0200
A preliminary FBI investigation suggested the death was a suicide, Howard said. An autopsy is pending.

Pravilov was a mentor to several Nnational Hockey League and U.S. college players, including Dainius Zubrus of the New Jersey Devils, who played for him as a teen in the Ukraine.

Pravilov ran an elite hockey school there from the 1980s until about 2007, when he came to the U.S. to run camps for standout players from the U.S. and abroad. Players from the Ukraineand elsewhere typically enrolled for about a month, staying with host families and traveling with Pravilov to various U.S. cities for tournaments and clinics.


On Jan. 3, he allegedly brought two 14-year-old Ukrainianboys to his Philadelphia apartment from a family home in Wilmington, Delaware, and fondled one of them during the night. The other boy was later threatened in a locker room, authorities alleged. A host parent contacted police.

Pravilov had been in custody since Homeland Security agents arrested him last month. He was later indicted on charges he took the teen across state lines for sexual purposes.

Pravilov had pleaded not guilty to the charges. He had appeared quite animated in several court appearances, speaking to his lawyer through a translator, and telling the judge he had been unable to call his lawyer to work on his case from the prison.

His defense lawyer did not immediately return messages seeking comment Friday. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, which was prosecuting Pravilov, declined to comment.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/122262/ Ukraine Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:08:18 +0200
During an open lecture titled "Ukraine's Foreign Policy in 2011-2012: Achievements and Priorities," which was held at the Kyiv Institute of International Relations on February 10, Hryshchenko noted that Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych had outlined this task as a priority for the Foreign Ministry.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122261/ News Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:00:35 +0200
"(Match-fixing) is not a regional phenomenon. This has to be stopped," Blatter said. "We will talk about it at our FIFA Congress (in May)."

Blatter said the head of the international police organization, Interpol, would attend the congress in Budapest, Hungary, as the world football body continues to struggle to get to grips with match-fixing.

Earlier this week, the South African Football Association convinced FIFA to give priority to investigating allegations that international matches in the country leading up to the last World Cup in 2010 were fixed.

Africa's reputation is already battered by a scandal in neighboring Zimbabwe, where more than 80 players have been suspended for alleged involvement in match-fixing. The Zimbabwe Football Association's former chief executive is facing corruption charges and is accused of masterminding the fixing of games involving the national team, where Zimbabwean players and officials are accused of being paid to lose.

But despite the sport's recently tarnished image, with Blatter's own organization involved in a string of corruption scandals, the FIFA president insisted "football is faring well."

Blatter pointed out FIFA had more members than the United Nations, adding "and I am still here."

Blatter was in Gabon to attend the annual CAF meeting as well as the African Cup of Nations final between Ivory Coast and Zambia on Sunday at Libreville's Stade de l'Amitie.

Alongside Blatter, CAF president Issa Hayatou praised co-hosts Gabon and Equatorial for their organization of Africa's top tournament and says the continental body is "satisfied."

Hayatou shrugged off concerns over near-deserted stadiums for some matches not involving the home teams. The quarterfinal between Zambia and Sudan was particularly embarrassing with only a handful of fans turning up at the 37,000-seat Estadio de Bata in Bata, Equatorial Guinea, for a last-eight game at the continent's premier competition.

Organizers gave away free tickets for the semifinals, but with both co-hosts already eliminated the stadiums were still only half full — at best.

"We would like the stadiums to be full but we do not have any power to get people out of their homes," Hayatou said.

Hayatou also responded to criticism that Africa's confederation had done little to help the victims of the Port Said stadium riot in Egypt in which more than 70 people died.

"Do you think a tragedy like that can leave us indifferent?" Hayatou said.

Blatter reiterated that FIFA had requested a report from the Egyptian Football Association following the disaster in which people were stabbed and crushed to death when fans rushed onto the field following a league game.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/122260/ Russia and former Soviet Union Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:37:32 +0200
The inquiry was ordered after allegations that the death of a 15-year-old boy in an ambulance on his way to hospital followed a beating by police.

The incident has caused public indignation in the city, the home town of both Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and a major centre of protests against the conduct of parliamentary elections in December.

An Interior Ministry spokesman told Russian state television Sukhodolsky had been sacked because of "systemic failures, including those linked to staff training". Medvedev's decree gave no reason for his dismissal.

Sukhodolsky has been tipped in some media as a possible replacement to Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.

Protests against alleged fraud in the December elections have swollen into the biggest opposition rallies in Putin's 12-year domination of Russian politics.

The opposition say the new parliament is not legitimate and demand an election re-run. They are also questioning the legitimacy of the presidential poll in which Putin is seeking his third term in the Kremlin.

The opposition, which is particularly strong in large cities like Moscow and St.Petersburg, plans to stage more rallies before the election and has announced that it will continue to protest after the polls until its demands are met.

Sukhodolsky's spokesman Sergei Shevchuk, who was dismissed along with his boss, told reporters in St.Petersburg that the general was besieged in his office by OMON special police troops. His statement was later denied by the police.

"After I came to collect my personal belongings, OMON troops blocked my office. My aides could not come to their desks. It is very sad that a general can be treated like that," Sukhodolsky was quoted as saying by the daily Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Medvedev, who will step down in May, met Interior Ministry staff in Moscow on Friday, telling them the police faced "a period of hard work" ahead in election year and warning that there was no room for "hysteria" in their daily work.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/122259/ Ukraine Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:14:47 +0200
He said that over the past one-and-a-half years, there were problems linked to the use of this assistance.

"Now it's less clear how all activities associated with the use of EU assistance, an increase in the number of administrative barriers and other difficulties are being coordinated," Teixeira said.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/world/detail/122258/ World Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:04:18 +0200
But even the elephant couldn't take Europe's brutal cold snap, despite its thick hide.

So Parc de Thoiry has been closed for five days, even though the bears, hippos, tigers and zebras couldn't care less and are happily prowling the 370-acre (150 hectare) grounds, including its frozen lakes.

"Ice skating," he said, regarding his giraffes and ostriches, "it's not for them."]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/russia/detail/122257/ Russia and former Soviet Union Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:48:04 +0200
The Interior Ministry had carried out an internal investigation following the death of the teenager, who had been detained as a suspect in a robbery.

The dismissal also followed reports of infighting and rivalry between Sukhodolsky and his deputy, and between Sukhodolsky and Russia's interior minister. Sukhodolsky had been the interior minister's first deputy before being appointed the St. Petersburg police chief in June of last year.]]> http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/122256/ Ukraine Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:37:50 +0200