Toronto Star reporter avoids kidnapping in Sloviansk by pretending to be French Canadian

Canadians are naturally not all that popular amongst the pro-Russian insurgents in eastern Ukraine at the moment, but when one reporter (Mitch Potter) was on the verge of being kidnapped, using only French seems to have saved him.

Stupéfait, le groupe est devenu hésitant. «Ils ne savaient plus à qui ils avaient affaire. Dans la demi-heure qui a suivi, j'ai prétendu être un Canadien français, je leur disais: «Vous avez des droits, il y a des problèmes, je vous comprends " et mon interprète traduisait.»

Stupefied, the group became hesitante. "They didn't know who they were dealing with anymore. During the following half hour I pretended to be a French Canadian, and told them "You have your rights, there are problems, I understand you", and my interpreter translated."

«Chaque fois que je parle des lois sur le bilinguisme au Canada, les prorusses ukrainiens sont captivés»...

Every time I spoke about the laws on bilingualism in Canada, the pro-Russian Ukrainians were captivated"...

The reporter spoke enough French to be able to pretend to be French Canadian in front of a non-French audience, but admits that he needs to improve.

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If Russia annexes Crimia

then it would leave a much more ethnically homogenous Ukraine in its wake. This map from the 2001 cenus shows the Ukrainian population compared to others, and in Crimea we have a large number of Russians and Crimean Tatars:

Were that to disappear the overall Russian population of the country would go from about 17% to 15%, and the Crimean Tatar population would be negligible as well.

Or take this graph, slim down the grey portion by an amount about half that of the blue sliver, and then remove that green 0.5 portion on the right.

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Hungarian becomes regional language in Vynohradiv

Back in August Ukraine passed legislation regarding minority / regional languages that focused mostly on the Russian-speaking east vs. Ukrainian-speaking west, but another interesting result is found in the far west where Hungarian has been made a regional language:

In the region of Vinohradiv near the Carpathian mountians, Hungarian has been recognized as a national language. From now on, all signs and notices will also be translated into Hungarian. The decision was taken last week under the initiative of the Party of Hungarians in Ukraine and the Democratic Party of Hungarians in Ukraine. The language law that entered into force the 10th of August provides the possibility for bilingualism in regions where the ethnic minority exceeds 10% of the population. Hungarian had already been made a regional language in September in the region of Berehove, in the Carpathians.

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Gaz : l'ukrainien Naftogaz bloque à nouveau le transit vers l'Europe / Li ukrainian Naftogaz bloca denov li transite vers Europa

Vias de transite de natural gas russ a Europa.

Un articul de Wikinews in francesi traductet a Occidental per me.

Français	Occidental
Gaz : l'ukrainien Naftogaz bloque à nouveau le transit vers l'Europe	Gas: Li ukrainian Naftogaz bloca denov li transite vers Europa
15 janvier 2009. – Le groupe ukrainien Naftogaz a une nouvelle fois décliné mardi une demande de transit de gaz russe vers l'Europe déposée par Gazprom, a fait savoir vendredi le géant gazier russe dans un communiqué.	15 januar 2009. - Li gruppo ukrainian Naftogaz declinat denov un demande de transite de russ gas vers Europa deposit per Gazprom, dit venerdí li russ gas-gigante in un declaration.
Gazprom a adressé au centre de distribution de Naftogaz une nouvelle demande de transit de 99,2 millions de mètres cubes par jour à partir de 7h00 GMT via la station de contrôle de Soudja, dont 13,9 millions destinés à la Moldavie, 63,1 millions aux Balkans et 22,2 millions à la Slovaquie.	Gazprom ha inviat un nov demande de un transit dial de 99.2 million cubic metres al centre de distribution de Naftogaz a departer ye 7:00 GMT per li station de control de Soudja, in quel 13.9 milliones es destinat a Moldavia, 63.1 milliones al Balkanes e 22.2 milliones a Slovakia.
« Nous avons une nouvelle fois reçu un refus arguant l'absence de contrat technique sur les conditions de réception du gaz aux stations de mesures frontalières pour 2009 », ce qui n'est pas recevable étant donné l'existence du contrat de transit pour 2003-2013 et entre en contradiction avec la pratique antérieure, a précisé le groupe russe.	"Noi ha ancor un vez recivet un refusa arguent li absentie de un contrate tecnical sur li conditiones de reception de gas in li stationes de frontieral mesuration por 2009", quel ne es admissabil pro li existentie de un contracte de transite por 2003-2013 e es in contradition con li practica anteriori, dit li gruppe russ.
Après une semaine de suspension des livraisons de gaz russe à destination de l'Europe via l'Ukraine en raison d'un différend avec Kiev, Moscou a accepté mardi de relancer ses fournitures. L'Ukraine a cependant fermé ses gazoducs au motif que la Russie lui imposait des conditions de transit inacceptables.	Pos un semane de suspension del liveration de russ gas destinant a Europa tra Ukraina pro un diferentie con Kiev, Moscva acceptat mardí de reinviar su provisiones. Ukraina, támen, ha cludet su ductes de gas pro li rationes que Russia ha imposit ínacceptabil conditiones de transite.

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Trade between Ukraine and Turkmenistan increases by 20% over previous year / 'Türkmenistan stratejik ortağımız'

Here's some news in Turkish today from Samanyoluhaber.com about Turkmenistan's 17th anniversary of independence and its relationship with Ukraine.

'Türkmenistan stratejik ortağımız'

'Turkmenistan is our strategic partner'

Ukrayna'nın Aşkabat Büyükelçisi Viktor Mayko, ülkesinin bağımsızlığının 17. yıldönümü münasebetiyle Türkmen basınına açıklamada, Türkmenistan ile stratejik ortak olduklarını bildirdi.

The Ukranian Ambassador to Ashgabat Viktor Mayko made an announcement to the Turkmen press on the 17th anniversary of the country's independence, saying that they were strategic partners with Turkmenistan.

Ukrayna'nın Avrupa Birliği (AB) ve NATO tarafından stratejik ortak olarak kabul edildiğini kaydeden Mayko, ülkesinin diğer ortakları ile Hazar-Karadeniz-Baltık transit enerji koridorunu oluşturduğunu ifade etti. Ülkesinin enerji kaynaklarına ulaşmasında saydam bir kural oluşturmak istediğini kaydeden Mayko, bu bağlamda yeni enerji politikasının oluşturulması gerektiğini söyledi.

Mayko said that Ukraine had made the decision to be a strategic partner of the European Union and NATO, and that the country had formed the Caspian-Black Sea-Baltic transit energy corridor with other strategic partners. Mayko spoke of wanting to create transparent regulations to reach the country's energy resources, saying that a new energy politics would need to be formed in this context.

Büyükelçi Mayko, ülkesinin enerji kaynaklarını tüketmekle kalmayıp, Avrupa ülkelerine sevk ettiğini kaydetti. Ayrıca Ukrayna'nın en büyük doğal gaz ithalatçısı olduğunun da altını çizdi. Bu alanda Türkmenistan'ın ülkesinin stratejik ortağı olduğunu belirten Mayko, bağımsızlık yıllarında iki ülke arasındaki ilişkilerin karşılıklı anlayış çerçevesinde geliştiğini sözlerine ekledi.

Ambassador Mayko noted that the country's energy resources were not simply expended but sent to European countries. He also underlined that Ukraine was the biggest importer of natural gas, making it a strategic partner of Turkmenistan, and that relations between the two countries in their years of independence had developed an environment of mutual understanding.

Türkmenistan Devlet Başkanı Gurbanguli Berdimuhamedov döneminde de bu ilişkilerin açık bir şekilde geliştiğini ifade eden Mayko, Ukrayna ile Türkmenistan arasındaki ticaret hacminin 2008 yılının ilk yarısında 2876,8 milyon dolara ulaştığını kaydetti. Bu rakımın geçen yılın aynı dönemine göre 482,9 milyon dolar artığını söyleyen Mayko, Ukrayna'nın Türkmenistan'a metalürji ürünleri, teçhizat, gıda, buğday ithal ederken, Aşkabat'tan doğal gaz ve petrol ürünleri satın aldığını belirtti.

Mayko noted that these relations had clearly developed during the period of Turkmenistan's president Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow, and that the volume of trade between Ukraine and Turkmenistan reached 2876.8 million dollars in the first half of 2008. Mayko said that this was an increase of 482.9 million dollars compared to the previous year, and that Ukranian metallurgy products, equipment, foodstuffs and wheat were imported to Turkmenistan, while it purchased natural gas and petrol products from Ashgabat.

CİHAN

25.Ağustos.2008 16:02:14

25 August 2008 16:02:14

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