TYMOSHENKO: THE FIRST HUNDRED DAYS

Quote: Next week will see Yulia Tymoshenko pass the hundred day mark since she was theatrically voted in as Prime Minister last December. Since returning to office the fiery reformer has thrown herself into a programme of social spending and anti-corruption measures that has jolted the country out of its political slumber and now threatens to provide new impetus to the Orange ambitions first given voice during the 2004 revolution which she helped lead
Whether you love the lady in the braids or simply can’t stand her, there is no denying that it has been an action-packed and explosive first hundred days for Tymoshenko’s new administration. The country’s World Trade Association membership ambitions have finally been realised after over ten years of dawdling and indecisiveness, while relations with the EU have benefited from an entirely new dynamic as Tymoshenko has made a series of well-received visits to Brussels with her team of integration experts.

On the home front campaign pledges to raise pensions, increase social payments and initiate a repayment scheme for the millions who lost their life savings in the Soviet banking collapse of 1991 have been followed through, leading to both widespread acclaim and accusations of dangerously inflationary populism. The most ambitious privatisation programme in years has been put together and an advisory council of foreign investors set up.

More: http://www.businessukraine.com.ua/tymoshenko-the-first-hundred
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Doctors Give Newborns Phenobarbital as Opiate

Quote:
Doctors of maternity ward at the central district hospital in Berezanka (Nikolaev region) were giving newborns out-of-date drugs. It was ascertained by experts of regional department on struggle against illegal turnover of drugs in Nikolaev during the checkup of hospital.

Doctors were giving newborns phenobarbital with glucose (psychoactive drug) to make children sleep well. They were doing it without parents’ knowledge.

Besides, doctors were giving out-of-date medicine. According to investigation, out-of-date medicine had been given by doctors to newborns since April till June 2007.

http://mignews.com.ua/en/articles/296042.html

TV journalist murdered in his Moscow apartment

Quote: Journalist Ilyas Shurpayev, a specialist in the North Caucasus employed by state-owned Perviy Kanal (Channel One) television, was found dead early this morning in his rented Moscow apartment. He had been strangled with a belt. According to a press-release of Reporters Without Borders, forwarded to UNIAN, the police have opened a murder investigation.
"We are shocked and saddened by Shurpayev`s murder," Reporters Without Borders said. "We urge the authorities to carry out a thorough investigation and to consider all hypotheses, including the possibility that it was linked to his work as a journalist, which is such a risky profession in Russia."
Shurpayev`s body was found when firemen came in response to a report by neighbours that there was a fire in the apartment, which he began renting last month. The investigators think his killers may have started the fire in an attempt to eliminate any possible clues.
It is thought that Shurpayev, 32, let his killers into the apartment. He had called the building`s concierge at 2 a.m. to ask her to allow two people, apparently of North Caucasus origin, into the building.

More: http://unian.net/eng/news/news-242419.html

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Fifteen Regions Party Deputies Blocking Parliament Rostrum Demanding Consider Withdrawal Of Peacekeepers From Kosovo

Quote: Fifteen Verkhovna Rada deputies of the Regions Party factions are blocking the parliament rostrum, demanding to consider withdrawal of Ukrainian peacekeepers from Kosovo.
During the recess, asked for the factions of the Our Ukraine - People's Self-Defense bloc and Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, the Regions Party MPs surrounded the rostrum and occupied approaches to it.
The Party of Regions is insisting on considering withdrawal of Ukrainian peacekeepers from Kosovo.

http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/111148.html

A continued show of defeat by PR, is what this is all about. They can't advance their agenda, so they force the government from advancing their agenda. Haven't they understood yet, that this show of game play will continue to hurt their rating's, or is it that their outside supporters don't really care?

Verkhovna Rada cancelled law on state purchases

Quote: The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has cancelled the law “On State Purchase of Goods, Works, and Services for State Means”.


According to an UNIAN correspondent, 440 lawmakers out of 446, registered in the session, voted for adopting the respective law, canceling the law on state purchases.
The also stipulates to completely cancel the existing law on this issue.



http://unian.net/eng/news/news-242193.html



Are the (MP's) actually accomplishing some work?

The Man Behind the Middlemen

Quote: Tymoshenko has led the charge to squeeze Firtash out of this position, alleging corruption.

Cheered by Western authorities who questioned the gas trade’s transparency, Tymoshenko is inching closer towards claiming victory against Firtash, whom she has repeatedly singled out by name as her target.

She convinced Gazprom to remove a RosUkrEnergo subsidiary, UkrGazEnergo, from monopolizing gas supply to Ukrainian industry.

But in the March 12 agreement she leaves it up to Gazprom to decide how long RosUkrEnergo remains as a supplier of gas to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, many of Firtash’s businesses, such as chemical factories, a growing web of gas trading companies in Eastern Europe and a venture to build gas-powered generators to export electricity to Europe, are dependent on access to competitively priced natural gas.
If Tymoshenko succeeds in completely squeezing Firtash out, the billionaire’s big plans could run out of gas.

http://www.kyivpost.com/nation/28638/

Lavrov warns against putting Ukraine, Georgia on track to NATO membership

Quote: It quotes Lavrov as saying on a trip to Israel on Thursday that the alliance's decision to give the two former Soviet Republics a "membership action plan" at the April 2-4 alliance summit in Bucharest, Romania, would have the "gravest consequences" for US-Russian relations.

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1205420743161

Might this be an actual warning to the US regarding setting up the defense missile's in eastern Europe, and are using Ukraine and Georgia as sacrifice.

Election addiction

Quote: While elections are a better alternative than Communist show trials, and while Ukrainians ought to be lauded for their enthusiasm for the democratic process, there’s a limit to all this, as US Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor Jr. has repeatedly warned.
Whereas President Viktor Yushchenko called a pre-term election using a violation of the Constitution as justification, now it appears that Ukraine’s politicians, led by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, are simply fed up with Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskiy.
So are most of us. He promised to improve transportation and the opposite occurred. Rather than develop affordable housing, he distributed hundreds of choice Kyiv properties as political tribute. Chernovetskiy has allowed land developers to run roughshod over historical landmarks and public parks. In just two years. his leadership has been disastrous in the full sense of the word.
In spite of all this, an election is not the way to cope. A good solution solves problems so they don’t recur.
Last year’s September pre-term parliamentary election didn’t solve any long-term problem. Parliament is just as dysfunctional as ever.

http://www.kyivpost.com/opinion/editorial/28636/

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Largest faction in Lviv council, BYuT, backs appeal to president to ban Communist party and Party of Regions

Quote: Explaining their motives, Lviv lawmakers belonging to various factions stressed that PoR and Communists engaged in subversive activities against the state and anti-Ukrainian declarations at the national congress of deputies in Siverskodonetsk on March 1. The Communists and Regions plunged into anti-Ukrainian rhetoric because they had not been prosecuted for similar anti-state activities at the 2004 congress in Siverskodonetsk when calls to break away from Ukraine were publicized.

http://zik.com.ua/en/news/2008/03/18/129991

41.3% Of All-Ukrainian Sociology Service Pollees Say Tymoshenko's Government Did Not Change Their Life

Quote: 41.3% of respondents interviewed by the All-Ukrainian Sociology Service have said that the government of Yulia Tymoshenko did not change their life.
This is indicated by the results of the poll that Ukrainian News has obtained.
The respondents were asked a question in what way your life has changed in three months during the performance of Yulia Tymoshenko's government.
21.4% said it has rather changed to the worse than to the better.
19.3% said it has rather changed to the better than to the worse.
10.5% said it has definitely become worse.
3.9% said it has definitely become better.
3.6% were undecided.

http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/109950.html

If she would adhere to the promises presented to the voters, perhaps her current position would be more attractive.

The Mayor of Kyiv shouldn't be a priority at this time. There are more pressing issue's than electing a new Mayor.

BYuT: in office or in opposition?

Quote: The BYuT parliamentary fraction has threatened not to attend the 18th March VR session unless a motion on pre-term Kyiv mayoral elections is first on the agenda for that day's business.

More: http://foreignnotes.blogspot.com/

Tymoshenko playing high risk politics game

Quote: PM Yulia Tymoshenko is continuing her political blitzkrieg in a high risk drive to topple the disgraceful Leonid Chernovetskiy. His presence in the mayor's office of Ukraine's capital is an embarassment that would not be tolerated in any normal European democracy.

More: http://foreignnotes.blogspot.com/

Yuschenko Favours Rada Abolishing Deputy Immunity From Prosecution March 18

Quote: President Viktor Yuschenko stands for the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) on March 18 considers and passes the first reading of the draft law abolishing deputy immunity from prosecution.
The presidential press service has announced this in a statement.
On Monday the president had his traditional meeting with Parliament Speaker Arsenii Yatseniuk and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The parties discussed the parliament's agenda for the plenary week of March 18-21.
Yuschenko also pronounced the necessity that Rada considers and passes the first reading of the bills stipulated by the coalition deal: on abolishing privileges and compensations for deputies, on the Cabinet of Ministers, on the opposition, on the imperative mandate, on calling early elections of Kyiv city council and the head of the Kyiv city.

http://www.ukranews.com/eng/article/109890.html

We all know half of these bills Yulia doesn't want to see passed. Imperative Mandate for starter's.

BYUT will not begin work in VR to decision making by The the l.Chernovetskomu

Quote: The parliamentary fraction of block of Julia Timoshenko on 18 March not will be present at the session of supreme rady, if the decision about the early elections of the mayor of Kiev not is stand by the first question in the agenda about this prime minister Julia Timoshenko she stated today at the press conference.
It expressed hope that WELL- NS will support initiative BYUT in this question. "in one of the points of coalition agreement it is clearly said about the early elections in Kiev. Therefore either the decision about the early elections will be set by the first question at the session of supreme rady, or we do not assume participation in the work of supreme rady ", said Yu.Timoshenko.

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/trurl_pagecontent?lp=ru_en&trurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.rbc.ua%2frus%2ftop%2f2008%2f03%2f16%2f329751.shtml

Is she (Yulia) going to continue to try to get her way by being the neighborhood brat? Or does she also want to delay bills from going forward in the VR, for her own agenda?

We all know that the immunity bill is up for another vote. Why would she want to delay that vote? Does she really want to lose immunity? Many questions to be answered by Yulia.

Speaker sees Ukraine's NATO bid as a way to boost reforms

Quote: Ukrainian speaker Arseniy Yatsenyuk has said that he views Ukraine's NATO aspirations as a way to boost economic and political reforms in the country. Commenting on the letter sent by the country’s top leadership's letter to NATO on Ukraine's willingness to join the Membership Action Plan at the coming NATO summit in Bucharest, Yatsenyuk stressed that there is nothing stated in this letter on becoming a NATO member immediately and that this can be done only after a nationwide referendum has been held.

http://ukraine-observer.com/index.php?c=1416

Kyiv condemns Russian statement over Holodomor

Quote: The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned attempts by Russia to block recognition by the United Nations of Holodomor 1932-1933 as an act of the genocide against the Ukrainian people
In its statement, the Ministry calls the step unfriendly, and says that “such calls by Russian officials are incompatible with the declared strategic partnership between our two countries and undermine faith in the Russian Federation’s sincerity as regards such declarations.”
Speaking at the Seventh Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Russia’s representative called on the UN to refrain from classifying the mass famine of the 1930s in Ukraine – Holodomor – as genocide against the Ukrainian people. Moscow asserts that the famine of 1932-1933 took part in different regions of the USSR.
Kyiv speaks of outrage over the appeal. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned attempts by Russia to block recognition by the United Nations of Holodomor 1932-1933 as an act of the genocide against the Ukrainian people
In its statement, the Ministry calls the step unfriendly, and says that “such calls by Russian officials are incompatible with the declared strategic partnership between our two countries and undermine faith in the Russian Federation’s sincerity as regards such declarations.”
Speaking at the Seventh Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Russia’s representative called on the UN to refrain from classifying the mass famine of the 1930s in Ukraine – Holodomor – as genocide against the Ukrainian people. Moscow asserts that the famine of 1932-1933 took part in different regions of the USSR.
Kyiv speaks of outrage over the appeal.

http://www.khpg.org/en/index.php?id=1205266119

Yushchenko thought of eliminating RosUkrEnergo in 2007

Ukraine eyes dropping RosUkrEnergo

Quote: KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 11 Ukraine said it is looking into stopping the use of RosUkrEnergo as an intermediary for gas supplies.Oleksandr Shlapak, deputy head of the presidential office, said this may happen as early as 2009 and that instructions on talks on the issues were sent to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.RosUkrEnergo is the sole supplier of a blend of Russian and Central Asian gas to Ukraine under a deal worked out in early 2006 between Ukraine and Gazprom, the world's No. 1 gas company. The firm is co-owned by Russia's Gazprom.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/122799.html