http://www.kievpost.net/news/ News http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122956/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:24:43 +0200
The war crimes court in The Hague, Netherlands has previously told Aisha, who is in Algeria, to seek information via Libya's new authorities. But Kaufman says no part of the new government has responded to her requests for basic information about her father's death usually accorded to relatives, and it is not clear where she should apply.

Kaufman said by telephone Wednesday, "who are the Libyan 'authorities?'"

The Hague court, which was authorized by the U.N. to investigate war crimes committed during Libya's civil war, dropped its case against Moammar Gadhafi after his death at the hands of opposing forces on Oct. 20.

However, the court, known by its acronym ICC, has not yet ruled on the new Libyan government's plans to try Seif and former Libyan intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senoussi in Libya. The ICC indicted the men for crimes against humanity, including multiple murders, allegedly committed during the former regime's crackdown on dissent.

Although the court only pursues war crimes cases a country itself cannot or will not try, Libyan authorities must still persuade international judges that the men will get a fair trial, on basically the same charges they would have faced in The Hague.

Judges have asked Libya whether Seif is being held incommunicado, as Kaufman asserts, and whether ICC officials can visit him to check on his health and ask him whether he has legal representation.

The transitional government's reply was filed confidentially in January.

Kaufman said Libya's reluctance to disclose the death certificate — copies of which have been widely circulated on the Internet — shows it is even less likely to turn over documents such as an autopsy report, which may contain incriminating evidence.

The court's prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo told the United Nations last year there are "serious suspicions" Moammar Gadhafi's death was itself a war crime because he may have been summarily executed after being taken into custody.

Kaufman said Libya's new government has a moral and legal obligation to give Aisha information such as the death certificate, autopsy report and exact location of Moammar's grave.

"Why are the Libyan authorities claiming they are capable of trying Seif al-Islam when they can't take care of properly handling a single document?" Kaufman said.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122971/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:47:31 +0200
Details of Blair's claim were not immediately made public Wednesday. Atkins said he would not be commenting further on the case.

Murdoch was left with little choice but to close the News of the World tabloid in July following revelations that it had hacked into the phone of a missing schoolgirl who was later found murdered. Since then, police have made almost 40 arrests — including many well-known reporters — over phone hacking and in connection to related inquiries into the payment of bribes to public officials and email hacking.

Millions have been paid out by Murdoch's company so far in out-of-court settlements to about 60 victims of hacking.

Murdoch's News International did not immediately return a message seeking comment. A Blair spokesman also declined comment.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/nation/detail/122970/ Ukraine Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:37:38 +0200
Khoroshkovsky headed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) from March 11, 2010 to Jan. 18, 2012.

On Jan. 18, Yanukovych appointed him as Ukraine's finance minister.

On Feb. 14, 2012, Yanukovych dismissed Andriy Kliuyev as first deputy prime minister and minister of economic development and trade and appointed him as secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, in place of Raisa Bohatyriova.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122969/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:29:59 +0200
French TV footage showed police containing reporters behind metal barriers as a tinted-window sedan carrying Strauss-Kahn left the police station in northern city of Lille.

Strauss-Kahn was a one-time French presidential hopeful whose political chances were derailed by a sexual assault accusation in New York City and his subsequent resignation from the IMF in May.

×èòàéòå îá ýòîì íà www.kyivpost.ua]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122968/ News Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:27:20 +0200
"This is a modern-day romanticism, a dramatic sensuality, a dark glamour, with subtle games of provocative intellect," creative director Frida Giannini wrote about her latest collection.

The collection mixes military accents with ultra-feminine styles complete with sequins and slits. The basic Gucci silhouette has a tiny waist and straight skirt with uneven hemline, long in back, shorter in front with subtle draping.

On a strictly dark background, Gucci brightens up the look with tapestry textiles, floral prints and embroidery. Colors are never garish but rather dark shades of green, plum and indigo blue.

Velvet and silk or brocades and leather created an opulent look, highlighted by over-the-top feathered creations. Crocodile riding boots and oversized coats were paired with demure velvet skirts and embroidered see-through equestrian pants.

Night wear is dreamy and feminine with long dresses in wrinkled tulle or velvet, embroidered with hand-sewn floral patterns.

The new stirrup bag, roomy as well as classy, has a revisited metallic spur closure. Gucci offers a more structured version of the saddle bag for eveningwear in de rigeur black crocodile. Footwear is either flat and masculine, or slipper-like with a sharp high heel.

The models wore their hair long and pulled back, but sported glasses to give the collection a brainy accent.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122967/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:19:03 +0200
"The sides spoke out in favour of Syrians themselves overcoming the crisis as swiftly as possible through exclusively peaceful means, without foreign intervention," Medvedev's press service said in a statement.

Russia has protected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from U.N. Security Council condemnation and potential sanctions during nearly a year of violence most countries blame on his government, twice vetoing resolutions along with China.

In line with Russia's position, the Kremlin said Medvedev and Ahmadinejad called for an internal Syrian political dialogue "without preliminary conditions" - wording that means Assad should not be required to step down as a condition for talks.

They also called for "the continuation" of political and socioeconomic reforms in Syria, the Kremlin said.

"The heads of state agreed that the main task now - including in the framework of international organisations, primarily the United Nations - is not to allow civil war, which could destabilise the situation in the entire region."

Medvedev also spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Iraq, the Kremlin said.

He told them Russia vetoed the most recent Western-Arab draft resolution to prevent nations in the Middle East and further afield "from using the resolution to implement a scenario of external intervention" in Syria's affairs.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/politics/detail/122966/ Politics Wed, 22 Feb 2012 20:10:42 +0200
The family and lawyers of Tymoshenko, a charismatic opposition leader who narrowly lost the 2010 presidential election to President Viktor Yanukovich, say she is suffering from lower back pains.

Prison authorities say they are closely monitoring Tymoshenko's health and following the recommendations of German doctors who examined her this month.

Roithova, former healtchare minister of the Czech Republic and a member of the European People's Party which has long supported Tymoshenko, visited Kiev this week and saw part of Tymoshenko's medical records dating back to November 2011.

"(The record) clearly shows that even then the medical findings concerning the lumbar spine area required proper treatment with anaesthetics, followed by appropriate rest and a further decision on possible surgical solution following more examinations," Roithova said in a statement.

"That would have been the standard procedure. Instead, however, she was deprived of her supportive crutches, she spent endless hours interrogated and was even temporarily deprived of the painkillers."

Roithova said she would "be taking much more seriously the concerns of Tymoshenko's family, who fear that Yulia Tymoshenko could be exposed to toxic substances so she would succumb to the pressure upon her".

"Yulia Tymoshenko's health raises concerns that she has been maltreated while being in prison," she said.

Tymoshenko, who denies all charges against her, gained international prominence as a leader of the Orange Revolution street protests which thwarted Yanukovich's first bid for the presidency in 2005.

Tymoshenko was convicted of exceeding her powers as prime minister by forcing through a gas deal with Russia in 2009 which the Yanukovich leadership says saddled Ukraine with an exorbitant price for the fuel.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122965/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:57:00 +0200
"Two people were detained this morning at Tallinn airport and are under investigation for treason," said Harrys Puusepp, a spokesman for the Security Police, which is the country's counter-espionage and anti-terrorism force.

He named the detainees as Aleksei Dressen, an employee of the Security Police, and his wife, Viktoria Dressen.

"It is believed that he was passing information to the Russian FSB for some years," he added, referring to Russia's successor to the feared Soviet-era KGB.

He said the two had not yet been charged and were giving their statements. The couple had some state secret documents with them, he added.

In 2008, Estonians and NATO allies were shocked by the arrest of senior Defence Ministry official Herman Simm for spying for Russia.

Simm was sentenced in 2009 to 12 years in jail after being found guilty of handing over more than 2,000 pages of information, including top secret NATO documents, to his handlers in Russia's SVR Foreign Intelligence service.

Police would not say what material Dressen is suspected of sending to Moscow. They said he was a long-time employee of the Security Police, though not in the senior management.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/business/bus_general/detail/122964/ General Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:48:01 +0200
It turned out that Gazprom was making space in the Yamal pipeline for gas from the Ukrainian corridor.

With the previous workload of the Nord Stream, Yamal-Europe throughput has risen significantly to almost maximum levels since the middle of last week, an industry source told Interfax.

Now Nord Stream and Yamal together pump more than 114 million cubic meters a day, which is an increase of 50 million cubic meters a day over the quantities supplied via the Yamal pipeline during the same period last year.

×èòàéòå îá ýòîì íà www.kyivpost.ua]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/ukraine/detail/122963/ Ukraine abroad Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:44:11 +0200 Roman Olearchyk writes: Ukraine’s jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko is ill, in pain and not receiving proper medical care, according to one of five foreign doctors who examined her last week as part of an independent humanitarian mission organised by western governments. Read full report here.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122962/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:31:33 +0200
"If there is such a commitment from the Russian government we see that that would allow us to avoid the heavy military means that would be needed to protect a safe passage," SNC spokeswoman Bassma Kodmani told reporters in Geneva Wednesday after holding talks with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Russia, which has opposed harsher international measures to end the Syrian government's crackdown against the opposition, voiced support Wednesday for the Red Cross's suggestion of a daily two-hour humanitarian cease-fire in Syria. But Moscow opposes the creation of so-called humanitarian corridors, saying they could be used to smuggle arms to opposition fighters.

Kodmani said she understood why the Red Cross had focused on calling for aid groups to be given time to bring in emergency supplies and reach those in need of medical help.

But she said the SNC would also be pressing for the "humanitarian corridors" — allowing aid to be brought in from Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey — at a "Friends of Syria" conference Friday in Tunisia.

"I'm not sure without those passages the ICRC alone will be able to respond to the needs on the ground," she said.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov has criticized the idea of humanitarian corridors, saying that potential differences over safe zones could lead to an escalation of violence.

Gatilov criticized the Tunis conference, saying that its organizers made a mistake by failing to invite representatives of the Syrian government. He also blamed unspecified powers for arming the Syrian opposition, saying the weapons deliveries were fueling the conflict.

Russia and China have vetoed two Security Council resolutions backing Arab League plans aimed at ending the conflict and condemning President Assad's crackdown on protests.

Kodmani said time was running out for the world to act.

"There is a humanitarian emergency," she said. "The world has not responded to this emergency adequately. The people in Syria feel abandoned. They feel they are being let down by the world."

The United Nations estimated that 5,400 people have been killed in the 11-month uprising against Assad and his government in the last year. Hundreds more have died since, activists groups say.

The Red Cross says negotiations on humanitarian access with Syrian authorities and opposition groups are at a very early stage.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/guide/guidenews/detail/122938/ News Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:21:08 +0200
Gaitana, known for a strong voice and seductive outfits, will represent Ukraine with the English-language hit "Be My Guest."

Yuri Sirotyuk, of the political party Svoboda, told the New Region agency on Monday that Gaitana was a bad choice because she was not authentically Ukrainian.

"Yes, Gaitana sings well, but she does not represent our culture," Sirotyuk was quoted as saying. "Eurovision must be a show of national talents."

"It looks like we don't want to show our face and Ukraine will be associated with a different continent, somewhere in Africa."

Svoboda is not represented in parliament, but has been gaining popularity recently.

Gaitana strongly condemned Sirotyuk's statement, saying it tarnishes Ukraine.

"I am very much ashamed for such racist statements, because they destroy Ukraine's reputation in front of the whole world," Gaitana told reporters. "We are doing everything we can so that Ukraine becomes a part of the European family, a part of the world, so that nobody would be afraid to come here and have children here."

Hanna Herman, an adviser to President Viktor Yanukovych, also spoke out against the statement, saying that Ukrainians should not be divided according to the color of their skin, their faith or their language.

Ukraine's National Television, which held the contest where Gaitana was selected by a combined vote of viewers and jurors, demanded that Sirotyuk apologize to Gaitana.

Sirotyuk told The Associated Press that he has nothing to apologize for.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122961/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:06:36 +0200
Separately, Greece's private sector bondholders will be asked to forgive €107 billion ($141 billion) in Greek debt by taking a 53.5 percent loss on the face value of their bonds and accepting longer repayment periods and lower interest rates.

Though Greece's finance minister Evangelos Venizelos hailed the deal as "a significant development that gives our country a new opportunity," investors remained cautious, not least because Greece has to enact economic reforms in a very short space of time to get its hands on the money.

The package's lack of measures aimed at boosting economic growth also caused concern in the markets. Greece is entering its fifth year of recession and is forecast to contract a further 4 percent or so this year.

"There are still a lot of moving parts in order for Greece to actually achieve the bailout of course and doubts remain about their ability to keep to the terms and conditions over the medium term," said Gary Jenkins, managing director of Swordfish Research.

Those doubts weighed on markets Wednesday as did the decision by Fitch to downgrade Greece's credit rating further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C.' The agency said it would consider briefly placing Greece in "restrictive default" once the bond swap is completed — a warning it first issued in June.

Athens argues that the default rating would be a simple technicality, as the twin deals struck on Tuesday will allow the country to repay bonds maturing next month — thus avoiding a disorderly default — and remain in the common European currency it joined in 2001.

In Europe, Germany's DAX closed 0.9 percent lower at 6,843.87 and the CAC-40 in France lost 0.5 percent to 3,447.37. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares shed 0.2 percent at 5,916.55.

In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average was down 0.3 percent at 12,922.06 while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 0.4 percent to 1,356.52.

Markets will continue to monitor developments in Athens Wednesday as the country's lawmakers debate emergency legislation to approve the private debt relief deal and the promised spending cuts, while unions plan a new anti-austerity rally outside Parliament.

Unions are angry at two years of belt-tightening, and have called a rally for 4:00 p.m. Previous protests have turned violent, and rioters burnt and looted dozens of shops in central Athens during a rally on Feb. 12.

In the currency markets, the euro was up 0.1 percent at $1.3249 even after a surprisingly big 1.9 percent monthly increase in eurozone industrial orders in December. Analysts said the figures are prone to volatility.

The British pound was the big mover in the currency markets, falling 0.7 percent against the dollar to $1.5668 after minutes to the last rate-setting meeting of the Bank of England showed that two of the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee voted for a 75 billion pounds monetary stimulus. The other seven backed a 50 billion pounds rise.

The disclosure that some on the MPC were arguing for a larger injection stoked speculation that the Bank is not done with its controversial strategy of pumping more money into the ailing British economy.

Earlier in Asia, stocks were generally buoyant despite another fairly weak Chinese manufacturing survey.

The preliminary reading of HSBC's China manufacturing index rose from 48.8 in January to 49.7 in February. But the number was still below the 50-level that signifies expansion, suggesting that the Chinese central bank may loosen credit — a move typically welcomed by markets.

Analysts at Barclays Capital in Hong Kong said the figure "will likely provide some comfort to the market" due to expectations that the People's Bank of China will undertake further monetary easing in order to try to stimulate growth.

The news helped spur mainland Chinese shares higher. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.9 percent to 2,403.59 and the smaller Shenzhen Composite Index gained 2.2 percent to 954.23.

Elsewhere, the Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo added 1 percent to close at 9,554 — its highest finish in more than six months, as a weakening yen boosted the prospects of Japan's critical export sector. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.3 percent to 21,549.28.

Oil prices were slightly lower, though near nine-month highs. Concerns over Iran's nuclear program have pushed oil prices higher in recent weeks. Benchmark crude for April delivery was down 3 cents to $106.22 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122960/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:50:35 +0200
Two of those included former Foreign Minister Antanos Valionis and former national security chief Arvydas Pocius.

Burauskaite said Wednesday thousands of documents on KGB officials' biographies, activities and operations — including interrogation techniques — are slated for release in the near future. Lithuania split from the Soviet Union in 1991.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/business/bus_general/detail/122959/ General Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:43:20 +0200
"If the Russian side turned to us, we could have helped European consumers in the situation with a critical reduction in gas supplies, in the same way as we helped Turkey," Naftogaz Deputy CEO Vadym Chuprun said.

The press release notes that under the current contract for natural gas supplies between Naftogaz Ukrainy and Gazprom, the daily consumption of gas is not recorded by Ukraine, while quarterly amounts of gas supplies are determined.

The state holding said that weather conditions in January-February 2012, when most of Europe and Russia saw anomalously low temperatures, had confirmed the importance of Ukrainian underground storage facilities as an integral part of the Ukrainian gas transport system in order to ensure a reliable and uninterrupted supply of natural gas.

Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller said on Wednesday that Ukraine had tapped Russian gas intended for European consumers at the beginning of this year.

He said that abnormally cold temperatures in Europe had caused European consumers to step up their requests for Russian gas supplies.

"However, a significant amount of Russian gas sent to European consumers never got there. On certain days, up to 40 million cubic meters of gas remained on Ukrainian territory," Miller said.

He added that "this inflicted financial and reputational damage on Gazprom."

Ukrainian Energy and Coal Industry Minister Yuriy Boiko said in early February that Gazprom had been moving less gas to Ukraine's eastern borders bound for Kyiv and countries in Europe, as provided for in technical agreements with Russia.

Ukraine entered the 2011-2012 heating period with around 20.4 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in underground storage.

At the end of last month, the volume of active gas in Ukrtransgaz storage amounted to about 15 bcm.

With the arrival of severe cold in late January and early February, Ukraine has been pumping more gas out of its underground storage facilities.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122958/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:26:53 +0200
VENEZUELA'S CHAVEZ:

- The 57-year-old socialist president declared himself free of cancer in October, four months after surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his pelvis.

He is due to return to Cuba for a new operation to remove a small lesion in the same place where the tumor was removed. Doctors have not disclosed the type of cancer he suffered from.

PARAGUAY'S FERNANDO LUGO:

- Lugo was diagnosed in August 2010 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network throughout the body. The president underwent four months of chemotherapy and the cancer is in remission.

BRAZIL'S LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA:

- Brazil's popular former president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, 66, was hospitalized this month for exhaustion resulting from chemotherapy, complicating his swift recovery from throat cancer and casting doubts on when he might return to political life.

Lula led the country between 2003 and 2010, a period of robust economic growth in which more than 20 million Brazilians were lifted out of poverty and joined the middle class.

BARBADOS' DAVID THOMPSON:

- Thompson was diagnosed in Sept 2010 with pancreatic cancer, an often fatal illness. The prime minister received medical treatment in the United States but died in October 2010. He was 48.

CZECH REPUBLIC'S VACLAV HAVEL:

- Vaclav Havel, a heavy smoker, had surgery in 1996 to remove part of his cancerous right lung. He was re-elected president two years later and stepped down in 2003 at the conclusion of his term. Havel died last December.

FRANCE'S FRANCOIS MITTERRAND:

- Mitterrand was diagnosed with cancer not long after being elected president in 1981. He did not reveal the information until after an operation in 1992. In 1994 Mitterrand underwent a second prostate operation followed by chemotherapy. He said he would resign if the pain became overwhelming.

Although forced to reduce his activities from September 1992 and very weak in his last nine months in office, Mitterrand remained in full possession of his mental faculties. He completed two seven-year terms in office to become France's longest-serving president.

UNITED STATES' RONALD REAGAN:

- In 1985, Reagan underwent surgery to remove cancerous polyps from his colon. This caused the first-ever invocation of the acting president clause of the U.S. Constitution's 25th Amendment. The surgery lasted just under three hours and Reagan resumed the powers of the presidency later that day.

In August 1985, he underwent an operation to remove skin cancer cells from his nose. In October, more skin cancer cells that were detected on his nose were removed. Reagan completed two four-year terms in office in 1989 and died in 2004.

IRAN'S SHAH MOHAMMAD REZA PAHLAVI:

- Rioting prompted the shah to leave Iran in January 1979. Gravely ill, he sought refuge abroad and later was treated for lymphatic cancer in the United States. The shah died in exile in Egypt in July 1980. Exiled cleric Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returned to Iran in triumph.

FRANCE'S GEORGES POMPIDOU:

- In April 1974, Pompidou died in office of a rare form of cancer called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. His death was a shock to the public, who had been told the president was suffering from recurrent bouts of flu. Pompidou died in an era when talk of the president's health was taboo.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122942/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:04:57 +0200
Federal Police Commissioner Nestor Rodriguez says the dead include 48 adults and one child.

That makes it Argentina's worst train accident since Feb. 1, 1970, when 200 a train smashed into another at full speed in suburban Buenos Aires, killing 200 people.

At least 550 people were injured, and emergency workers were slowly extracting dozens of people who were trapped inside the first car, said Alberto Crescenti, the city's emergency medical director. Rescuers carved open the roof and set up a pulley system to ease them out one by one.

The commuter train came in too fast and hit the barrier at the end of the platform at about 16 mph (26 kph), smashing the front of the engine and crunching the leading cars behind it; one car penetrated nearly 20 feet (six meters) into the next, Argentina's transportation secretary, J.P. Schiavi told reporters at the station.
Paramedics carry away wounded passengers from a commuter train after a collision in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday Feb. 22, 2012.


The conductors' union chief, Omar Maturano, told Radio 10 that the train might have come in as fast as 18 mph (30 kph)

Most damaged was the first car, where passengers make space for bicycles. Survivors told the TeleNoticias channel that many people were injured in a jumble of metal and glass.

Passengers said windows exploded as the tops of train cars separated from their floors. The trains are usually packed with people standing between the seats, and many were thrown into each other and to the floor by the force of the hard stop.

Many people suffered bruises, and many with lesser injuries were waiting for attention on the Once station's platforms as helicopters and more than a dozen ambulances took the most seriously injured to nearby hospitals.

There have been five serious train accidents in Argentina since Dec. 2010; the most deadly of these happened last Sept. 13, when a bus driver crossed the tracks in front of an oncoming train, killing 11.

"This machine left the shop yesterday and the brakes worked well. From what we know, it braked without problems at previous stations. At this point I don't want to speculate about the causes," Ruben Sobrero, train workers' union chief on the Sarmiento line, told Radio La Red.

The motorman has been hospitalized and the union hasn't been able to speak with him yet, Sobrero added.

×èòàéòå îá ýòîì íà www.kyivpost.ua]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122957/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:55:22 +0200
On Tuesday, the 17-country eurozone approved Greece's second financial lifeline in less than two years, worth €130 billion ($172 billion), and a €107 billion ($141 billion) debt writedown by banks and other private holders of Greek bonds.

In response to the writedown agreement, Fitch downgraded Greece's credit rating further into junk status, from 'CCC' to 'C.'

The agency said a Greek default "is highly likely in the near term" and added that it would briefly consider placing Greece in "restrictive default" once the bond swap is completed — a warning it first issued in June.

Athens argues that the default rating would be a simple technicality, as the twin deals struck on Tuesday will allow the country to repay bonds maturing next month — thus avoiding a disorderly default — and remain in the common European currency it joined in 2001.

Even then, the price of salvation for ordinary Greeks is only just starting to sink in.

Legislation tabled in Parliament late Tuesday outlines a total €3.2 billion ($4.2 billion) in extra budget cuts this year agreed by the Cabinet last week.

The measures include nearly €400 million ($530 million) in cuts to already depleted pensions. Health and education spending will be reduced by more than €170 million ($225 million), subsidies to the state health care system will be cut by €500 million ($661 million), and health care spending on medicine will fall by €570 million ($754 million). And some €400 million ($529 million) will be lopped off defense spending — three quarters of which will come from purchases.

The draft law also drastically revises the 2012 budget, changing the government deficit target to 6.7 percent of gross domestic product from an initial forecast of 5.4 percent. Even worse, plans for a modest primary surplus — which excludes debt servicing costs — have been scrapped and Greece will instead post a primary deficit of nearly €500 million ($661 million), or 0.2 percent of GDP.

Parliament is expected to vote on the cuts and budgetary revisions early next week.

On Wednesday, debate will start at committee level on a separate draft law on adopting the private debt writedown. Parliament's plenary session will vote on the draft law Thursday.

"The decisions that have been taken and those that will be made, create the conditions that will help the recovery and growth of the Greek economy," Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said after briefing President Karolos Papoulias on the eurozone decisions. "Much remains to be done in the coming weeks."

Both pieces of legislation are expected to be approved, as the interim governing coalition headed by Papademos, a former central banker, controls 193 of the House's 300 seats. But earlier this month the two coalition partners — the majority Socialists and the conservatives — were forced to expel a total 43 deputies who rebelled against new austerity cuts.

It remains uncertain whether even the combination of new bailout and writedown will be enough to save Greece, whose economy is in a fifth year of recession and could continue to shrink as the cutbacks cripple consumer spending and investment.

Greek stocks tumbled for a second day after the bailout deal, losing 5 percent shortly before market closing.

Even with the writedown, Greece's public debt will be reduced at best from €368 billion ($487 billion), or nearly 170 percent of GDP last year to 120 percent in 2020 — around the level it was in 2009.

Greek retailers said Wednesday the prolonged austerity and recession were expected to cost another 100,000 jobs in the sector in the first half of 2012 alone — following 65,000 job losses in June-December 2011. About one employee is hired for every seven laid off.

More than one million Greeks, or 21 percent of the work force, were out of work in November.

The government is also cutting private sector wages, with the minimum monthly salary being reduced 22 percent to €580 ($770) — and €510 ($675) for workers aged under 25, an age group that suffers from 50 percent unemployment. Salaries are even lower for part-time employees.

Dimitris Asimakopoulos, head of General Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants, GSEVEE, presented a new study showing that 180,000 businesses are at risk of closing in 2012, with at least 61,000 expected to fail.

"The study reveals, with facts and figures, that we are unfortunately stuck in the mire of recession," Asimakopoulos said. "We will not emerge from this with wishful thinking about competitiveness and €300 salaries."

Werner Hoyer, the new president of the European Investment Bank, told Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper that "Greece now needs, alongside the unavoidable austerity program, a Marshall plan too " — a reference to the U.S. aid plan that rescued an impoverished Europe after World War II.

Hoyer suggested that Greeks working in the European Commission and other EU bodies should be motivated to return home and help out, to avoid the impression that Greece "is under tutelage and directed by others."

But he said the structural reforms Greece needed could take up to two decades.

Angry Greek unions have called a protest rally against the new belt-tightening for this afternoon outside Parliament. Communist supporters will hold a separate march an hour later, while other protesters are planning a motorcycle rally. Previous protests have turned violent, and rioters burnt and looted dozens of shops in central Athens during a rally on Feb. 12.

Papademos, who is unelected, has a sole mandate to see through the twin bailout and debt relief deal, and is expected to step down by early April ahead of national elections. Polls show that conservative New Democracy would likely come first, but without a large enough majority to govern alone.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/city/detail/122955/ City Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:29:19 +0200
Popov said that Kyiv would receive certain funds by the end of February 2012, including from the state budget, which will help speed up the funding of this project.

He said that the recent bad weather in Ukraine had prevented the necessary reconstruction work from being done.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122954/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:10:22 +0200
Reached at his home Wednesday morning, May declined comment.

U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said his investigation is "absolutely not" finished but did not immediately comment further.

Although other mine disasters have led to criminal charges, they've typically targeted low-ranking employees and have largely been misdemeanor offenses. A conviction on the federal fraud charge could result in fines and up to five years in prison.

It's a rare, if not unprecedented legal strategy that appears to be aimed at moving up the corporate ladder.

Last week, Goodwin urged a federal judge to make an example of the only other person charged so far, former security chief Hughie Elbert Stover. Goodwin is demanding the maximum possible sentence of 25 years in prison for actions he says contributed to the April 2010 disaster.

Stover is to be sentenced Feb. 29 for lying to federal investigators and attempting to destroy documents.

Official reports about the explosion have concluded that Virginia-based Massey Energy — which has since been bought by Alpha Natural Resources — allowed methane and coal dust to accumulate and failed to properly maintain and repair the cutting equipment that eventually created the spark that fuel needed to explode.

Clogged and broken water sprayers then allowed what could have been a minor flare-up to become an epic blast that traveled seven miles (11 kilometers) of underground corridors, doubling back on itself and killing men instantly.

The information filed in U.S. District Court in Charleston accuses May of conspiring with others to conceal many dangers in the mine through an elaborate scheme that included code words to alert miners underground when inspectors were on the property, the deliberate alteration of approved ventilation plans and the deliberate disabling of a methane gas monitor on the continuous mining machine.

Other employees of the mine have told investigators there was never enough fresh air to sweep out the highly explosive methane and coal dust that regularly accumulated — the fuel that three separate investigations have concluded powered the chain-reaction blast.

The information says Massey subsidiary Performance Coal Co. and its managers routinely violated a host of federal mine safety laws for fear that violations would cut into production time.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122953/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:06:08 +0200
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, who was in Helmand on Monday to meet his country's troops, said after the deaths that Georgia stood by its commitment to the increasingly unpopular war, dragged into its 11th year.

"The sacrifice of Georgian servicemen is appreciated by the Georgian people... future generations will live in a united, much stronger and more successful country," Saakashvili said in a statement.

The former Soviet country has over 900 troops supporting the NATO-led war in Afghanistan, including 750 in Helmand.

Another deployment of 600-700 will be sent this year, making Georgia one of the largest non-NATO contributors in the war.

Georgian troops have been in Afghanistan since 2004, a commitment that underscores Tbilisi's ambition to join NATO, despite fierce opposition from neighbouring Russia, with which it fought a brief war in 2008, and waning enthusiasm among the coalition's member states.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122952/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:59:55 +0200
"Both countries are quickly rising stars. One of them is a global power. The other is a regional power," said Murat Bilhan, a former Turkish ambassador and chairman of the foreign policy platform at Istanbul Kultur University. "This, of course, gives them some kind of look toward each other and they need to cooperate."

There are challenges.

Trade between Turkey and China soared over the past decade to $24 billion a year, though Chinese exports account for most of it. Turkish officials want to address this imbalance by securing more Chinese investment and tourism, as well as joint ventures in Turkey or other locations, such as Africa.

"This is a very huge problem between Turkey and China," said Selcuk Colakoglu, head of Asia-Pacific studies at USAK, a research center based in Ankara.

Zafer Caglayan, the Turkish economy minister, alluded to the trade imbalance at a Turkish-Chinese business forum in Istanbul when he said, in a pointed joke, that China was the recipient of "unrequited love" from Turkey. At the same time, the economic powerhouses have ambitious plans to increase trade fourfold by the end of the decade.

Prior to the revolts in the Middle East and North Africa, Turkey stepped up efforts to develop alliances with regional neighbors, including authoritarian regimes such as Libya and Syria. But Turkey has aligned closely with the West in calling for democratic change, and says Syrian President Bashar Assad should stop military assaults on the opposition and quit.

China, which carried out a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1989, has refused to condemn Syria over the violence. Along with Russia, China vetoed two U.N. Security Council resolutions backing Arab League plans aimed at ending the conflict and condemning Syria's military campaign against the opposition, though it later said it supported the league's plans.

Colakoglu said Turkey, a democracy with its own shortcomings, had settled on a policy of advocating "open and free elections," while China sees the Syrian case as "a kind of destabilization" in which the West is maneuvering for influence.

In 2009, violence between Muslim Uighurs and Han Chinese left nearly 200 dead in the worst riots in China's far west in more than a decade. Turkey is home to a large Uighur community, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had described China's use of overwhelming force against anti-government protesters as "almost genocide."

Tension eased after China invited Turkish businesses to invest in the Xinjiang region, where most of China's Uighurs live, and Chinese airlines started flights last year that link Istanbul to Beijing and Shanghai with stopovers in Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi.

This week, officials announced deals worth $1.4 billion (€1.05 billion) between companies from the two countries as well as a three-year currency swap deal worth $1.6 billion (€1.2 billion) to enable bilateral trade in local currencies.

Altay Atli, coordinator of the Asian Studies Center at Bogazici University in Istanbul, said disputes over Syria and the Uighurs were unlikely to disrupt the pragmatic, economy-oriented relationship between China and Turkey. They were once linked by the Silk Road, the ancient trade network between Asia and Europe. The two countries stood on opposite sides in the Cold War and began to open up to investment at around the same time in the 1980s.

"Turkey wants to be a more assertive player in the region and in the world," Atli said. "This requires close relations with China. For China, on the other hand, Turkey is more important than ever because of China's growing interest in the Middle East."

Atli said he believes Vice President Xi wanted to "set his foot on the stage" in the energy-rich region before becoming, as expected, president of China next year.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/politics/detail/122951/ Politics Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:56:54 +0200
"It was the macroeconomic situation that he managed to stabilize, although risks have appeared, and they are quite serious. In terms of the declared reforms, the course was right. Another thing is that problems arouse with the pace of reforms and their effectiveness," Fesenko said.

According to the analyst, social tension is "the main challenge to Yanukovych and Azarov-led government."

As for foreign policy, Fesenko said that the situation was also ambiguous: "On the one hand, the course for the formation of a new balance of relations between West and Russia and the search for the best golden mean was the right course, but here I would like to name the main problem, the main mistake of Yanukovych in his first two years as president – the trial and conviction of Yulia Tymoshenko. In my opinion, they, first of all, created very serious problems in relations with West and largely ruined all of the achievements last year concerning European integration, and the question of signing the [association] agreement depends on the fate of Tymoshenko, on our domestic political problems - and this is the main problem," Fesenko said.

Director of Ukraine's Institute of Global Strategies Vadym Karasiov, in turn said he shared the view of his colleague in the context of conflicting estimates of Yanukovych's presidency. He said that the price of the question of concentration or monopolization of power was too high, and in particular, it concerns the fact that macroeconomic stability was achieved due to the "destruction of the business."

"The public does not support this course, and we've seen a drop in ratings in the last two years, despite consolidation," Karasiov said.

In his opinion, now there is a "silent war between the public and the government."

"The government and society are standing back to back," he said, adding that "relations with Europe have stalled."

"Yanukovych is not controlling the opposition, and he is not controlling Tymoshenko even in prison... because the West is exerting pressure, and doctors are coming, and it is not clear yet what will the outcome of the story with Tymoshenko's illness. This is a very alarming factor for Yanukovych," Karasiov said.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/city/detail/122950/ City Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:36:55 +0200
According to a press service, new proposals from Kyiv citizens to remove illegally constructed kiosks located on the edge of Kyiv ahead of the Euro 2012 football event and also near metro and public transport stations were considered by the commission responsible for placing of temporary constructions headed by first Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration Oleksandr Mazurchak on Feb. 20.

The administration noted that according to a decision of Kyiv Council of Jan. 26, 2012, the ban on setting up kiosks in particular concerns facilities located at a distance of less than 20 meters from the entrance or exit of metro and public transport stations.

Moreover according to the document, the installation of kiosks is banned within in a distance of 1.5 kilometers from the Olympiysky National Sports Complex and in areas near trade centers for which the centers have obtained planning permission.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122934/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:29:03 +0200
It was one of Russia's starkest warnings against resorting to force, an option Israel and the United States have not ruled out if they conclude that diplomacy and increasing sanctions will not stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb.

"I hope Israel understands all these consequences ... and they should also consider the consequences of such action for themselves," Gatilov said. "I hope a realistic approach will prevail, along with a sensible assessment."

Russia, China as well as many allies of the United States are concerned that any military action against Iran could engulf the Middle East in wider war, which would send oil prices rocketing at a time of global economic troubles.

Iran has threatened to retaliate for any attack, or even if it feels endangered, by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for Gulf oil exports crucial to the global economy, and hitting Israel and U.S. interests in the Middle East.

Tehran has refused to stop sensitive nuclear work such as uranium enrichment despite four rounds of U.N. sanctions and a slew of additional measures imposed by the United States and the European Union, which fear Tehran is seeking nuclear weapons.

The Islamic Republic says its efforts to produce nuclear fuel are solely for electricity generation.

IAEA-IRAN TALKS GO NOWHERE

The failure of two days of talks between Iran and senior International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officials, who were refused access to a military site where they believe Iran tested explosives of use in nuclear weapons, dimmed the chances of Western powers agreeing to renew broader negotiations with Iran.

A warning from Iran's clerical supreme leader on Wednesday, hours after the Tehran talks concluded, that no obstacle would derail Iran's nuclear course added to tensions.

Gatilov suggested that Iran should be more cooperative but there is more room for diplomacy. He said Iran's discussions with Russia, China, the United States, Britain, France and Germany, frozen for a year, could still be revived.

"Iran and IAEA should boost their dialogue in order to rule out the ... possibility of the existence of military dimensions in the Iranian nuclear programme. We hope that this dialogue will be continued," he said.

"I think we still have opportunity to continue diplomatic efforts, to renew the six-nation talks."

Russia, which built Iran's first nuclear power plant, has often stressed the need for talks and that too much coercive pressure on Iran is counterproductive, a stance that has prompted concerns Moscow has helped Tehran play for time.

Last week, Russia said global powers must be serious about proposing solutions Iran might accept, warning that Tehran's desire for compromise was waning as it moved closer to being technically capable of building atomic weapons.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/business/bus_general/detail/122949/ General Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:27:39 +0200
"However, a significant amount of Russian gas sent to European consumers never got there. On certain days, up to 40 million cubic meters of gas remained on Ukrainian territory," Miller said.

He added that "this inflicted financial and reputational damage on Gazprom."

Yesterday a Gazprom source told Interfax that Ukraine took roughly 438.3 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas transiting to Europe during Feb. 1-15.

"Our Ukrainian partners took as much gas from the export pipe as they thought necessary. And they took gas that was destined for European consumers, and our Ukrainian partners knew about this," Miller told the president.

Medvedev pointed out that all cases of unsanctioned tapping of gas have to be pursued. "You naturally, in the context of corporate procedures and the civil law contracts that connect you with Ukraine have to get to the bottom of all of these events," he said.
×èòàéòå îá ýòîì íà www.kyivpost.ua]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/business/bus_general/detail/122948/ General Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:23:01 +0200
Tymchenko added that DTEK also invests about Hr 65 million per year in scientific research and development.

DTEK plans in 2012 to produce about 40 million tonnes of coal.

DTEK was founded to manage energy assets owned by Rinat Akhmetov's System Capital Management (based in Donetsk) in 2005.

The holding has been delegated for the strategic management of System Capital Management's enterprises, which comprise a vertically integrated group of companies for the production and enrichment of coal, as well as electricity production and sales.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/russia/detail/122947/ Russia and former Soviet Union Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:16:51 +0200
Toy bears and rabbits he had put on a bench in front of the Minsk mayor's office carried banners such as "Police have ripped my eye out", "Where is media freedom?" and "Alejandro, let the people go", a mocking appeal to President Alexander Lukashenko.

Protests involving teddy bears carrying protest banners and Lego men were first reported in the city of Barnaul in Russia, where they are now staged regularly against Putin who is widely expected to return as president next month.

Lukashenko, who has run the former Soviet republic since 1994 tolerating little dissent, has become target of sanctions by the United States and the European Unbion for cracking down on a public protest after his re-election in December 2010.

Two opposition leaders who ran against him in 2010, Andrei Sannikov and Nikolai Statkevich, have since been jailed.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/world/detail/122946/ World Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:56:42 +0200
More than 800 people were killed during the uprisings, many of them demonstrators shot dead by security forces.

Egyptians have closely followed the case, and many see its slow progress as an indictment of the council of ruling army generals who took power when Mubarak stepped down.

Critics of the military's handling of the transition to democracy say the trial's pace reflects a wider lack of justice for those killed in the uprising. Egyptian courts have so far not punished any police officers for the protester deaths.

Others have criticized the prosecution's handling of the case, saying it has failed to present strong enough evidence to support a murder charge.

The prosecution is asking for the death sentence for Mubarak, usually carried out by hanging in Egypt. Mubarak's defense team argues that he is still president, and thus can only be tried for treason or in a special court. The judge was expected to set a date for the verdict and sentencing later in the session.

"I have no comment," Mubarak told the judge Wednesday. "What the lawyer said is enough."

Mubarak's Interior Minister at the time, however, spoke for an hour and a half, saying the uprising was the result of a foreign plot to destabilize Egypt.

"I reaffirm before you that there were foreign saboteurs who desecrated Egypt's pure land and were supported by internal criminal elements with the aim of undermining Egypt's international and regional standing and attempting to destabilize its political, security and economic stability," said Habib el-Adly. He ran Mubarak's security services and faces the same charge.

El-Adly said the plot involved "killing peaceful protesters, storming prisons to free terrorist and criminal elements, vandalizing public and private properities and burning policemen inside their vehicles."

Dozens of policemen men were also killed during the uprising.

El-Adly offered his condolences to the families of those killed, prompting laywers in the room to shout, "Butcher! Execution!"

Six other ranking security officers are being tried in the same case. Mubarak, his sons Gamal and Alaa and a close associate are being tried in a separate case on corruption charges.]]> http://www.kievpost.net/news/nation/detail/122945/ Ukraine Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:52:57 +0200
This agreement is "unique" in terms of the cost of the Black Sea Fleet presence in Ukraine, he said.

Under the document, Russia is capitalizing the gas discount towards the rental, he said. "We are talking about billions of dollars here," he said, adding that "no one pays (such rentals) to anyone anywhere."

"Nevertheless, we are considering the possibility of the Black Sea Fleet being based at Russian ports as well, which is why we allocated the necessary funding for the development of a base at Novorossiysk and will develop it," Putin said.

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