Category Archives: news

Beware Russia’s coverage of the Ukrainian Presidential election

I noticed a big difference in how Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency is starting to report the upcoming Ukrainian Presidential election, especially Viktor Yanukovych’s recent announcement to run:

Viktor Yanukovich hopes to contest Ukrainian presidency

KIEV, April 20 (Itar-Tass) — The leader of Ukraine’s oppositional Party of Regions, Viktor Yanukovich, has for the first time declared his intention to participate in the early presidential election the national parliament set for October 25.

Luckily the Kyiv Post offers a little more truthful representation of the event:

Yanukovych to run for president

Opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich, who lost a re-run of a rigged 2004 presidential election in what came to be known as the "Orange Revolution", says he will run in Ukraine’s next presidential race.

Is it a case of bad English or misleading information? Everyone who is running in this Presidential election is technically running for the first time in this particular election – why the redundancy?  It’s no secret that Yanukovych has always been a pro-Russian candidate. Would the Russian “independent” media lie for their country? You decide!

Edit: Taras points out it’s Yanukovych in Ukrainian and Yanukovich in Russian

Ukrainian president, Canada’s governor general meet in Kyiv

From Kyiv Post:

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Governor General of Canada Michaelle Jean met in Kyiv on Thursday.

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The two couples began a meeting at Horodetsky House, and extended talks chaired by the Ukrainian president and the governor general of Canada will then be held.

Yushchenko and Jean will then make statements for the press, before laying flowers at the Memorial to Famine Victims.

UNIAN has posted pictures from the event.

Brant MPP hails bill’s passage

From the Brantford Expositor:

Brant MPP Dave Levac made political history with a unique tri-sponsored private member’s bill that gives official recognition to a crime against humanity in Ukraine’s past.

Lt.-Gov. David Onley is expected in the next 10 days to sign into law Bill 146, the Holodomor Memorial Day Act, which cleared third reading with unanimous support in the Ontario legislature.

With the bill’s passage, Ontario joins Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ottawa in declaring the fourth Saturday in November each year as Holodomor Memorial Day.

Congratulations!

Ukrainian Congress Committee secretary gunned down in Binghamton massacre (Updated)

From the Toronto Star:

BINGHAMTON, N.Y.–A gunman barricaded the back door of a community centre with his car and then opened fire on a room full of immigrants taking a citizenship class yesterday, killing 13 people before apparently committing suicide.

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The attack came just after 10 a.m. at the American Civic Association, an organization that helps immigrants settle in the United States.

Police Chief Joseph Zikuski said the gunman parked his car against the back door, "making sure nobody could escape," then stormed through the front, shooting two receptionists, apparently without a word.

The suspect, believed to be Vietnamese immigrant Jiverly Voong, 42, then entered a room just off the reception area and fired on a citizenship class.

Part-time caseworker Maria Zobniw was supposed to have the day off, but the call came from the immigrant assistance center that extra help was needed, and off she went:

Continue reading Ukrainian Congress Committee secretary gunned down in Binghamton massacre (Updated)

CBC’s RCI dropping Ukrainian bureau

rci

As CBC slashes 800 jobs, Simon at Ukrainian Time passes along the sad news about the shutting down of it’s RCI Ukrainian bureau – an international broadcasting service that served Ukraine from Canada:

Ukrainian Section No More at RCI

The Ukrainian Section at Radio Canada International (RCI) was cut. The surprise announcement was made this afternoon to the 2-member personnel of the section. The half-hour program was aired Saturdays and Sundays since it was cut in half in November 2004, after over 50 years of broadcasting on a daily basis.

Continue reading CBC’s RCI dropping Ukrainian bureau