Lviv

Lviv, is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main

cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Jewish and Polish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city till the outbreak of World War II and the following Holocaust and Soviet population transfers. The historical heart of Lviv with its old buildings and cobblestone roads has survived World War II and ensuing Soviet presence largely unscathed. The city has many industries and institutions of higher education such as the Lviv University and the Lviv Polytechnic. Lviv is also a home to many world-class cultural institutions, including a philharmonic orchestra and the famous Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet. The historic city centre is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Lviv celebrated its 750th anniversary with a son et lumière in the city centre in September 2006.

Lviv was founded in 1256 in Red Ruthenia by King Danylo Halytskyi of the Ruthenian principality of Halych-Volhynia, and named in honour of his son, Lev. Together with the rest of Red Ruthenia, Lviv was captured by the Kingdom of Poland in 1349 during the reign of Polish king Casimir III the Great. Lviv belonged to the Kingdom of Poland 1349–1569, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569–1772, the Austrian Empire 1772–1918 and the Second Polish Republic 1918–1939. With the Invasion of Poland at the outbreak of the second World War, the city of Lviv with adjacent land were annexed and incorporated into the Soviet Union, becoming part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1939 to 1941. Between July 1941 and July 1944 Lviv was under German occupation and was located in the General Government. In July 1944 it was captured by the Soviet Red Army and the Polish Home Army. According to the agreements of the Yalta Conference, Lviv was again integrated into the Ukrainian SSR.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the city remained a part of the now independent Ukraine, for which it currently serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast, and is designated as its own raion (district) within that oblast.

On 12 June 2009 the Ukrainian magazine Focus assessed Lviv as the best Ukrainian city to live in.

Zaporizhia International Airport

Zaporizhia International Airport (IATA: OZH, ICAO: UKDE) (Ukrainian Міжнародний аеропорт Запоріжжя) is the international airport that serves Zaporizhia, Ukraine one of three airfields around the city. The aircraft engine factory Motor Sich has its base here.

Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport

Ivano-Frankivsk International Airport, Ukrainian Міжнародний аеропорт Івано-Франківськ (IATA: IFO, ICAO: UKLI) is an airport bordering Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine, some 4.4 km (2.7 mi) by road from the town center. Ivano-Frankivsk airport is an international airport with frontier and customs control since 1992. The airport traffic capacity is claimed to be 400 passengers per hour.

A second concrete runway, 6,325 ft (1,928 m) long, is now used by the military as a parking lot, and a large apron (located northwest of the civilian terminal) is still in use by the Ukrainian Air Force (Військово-Повітряні Сили України).

Officials have made efforts in the past to promote the airport and its relative proximity to the Bukovel ski area, Vorokhta and the Carpathian National Nature Park, and other quiet, spectacular mountain environments.

Kiev Zhuliany Airport

Kiev (Zhuliany) International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Київ" (Жуляни)) (IATA: IEV, ICAO: UKKK) is one of the two passenger airports of the Ukrainian capital Kiev. It is located in the Zhuliany neighbourhood in the south of the city.

Although the original airport, it is not the main airport serving Kiev. In the 1960s the larger Boryspil International Airport was built near the city of Boryspil. Since that time the old "Kiev" airport became commonly known just as "Zhuliany" (or Kiev-Zhuliany), while it still keeps the official "Kiev" name.

In Soviet times Kiev-Zhuliany was used for domestic flights only. After independence it began receiving some international flights from nearby countries. Surrounded by major railways, highways and residential districts, the airport has no possibility for expansion and is limited in types and MTOW of aircraft, certificated to operate there.

The airport features a major aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul company, ARP-410. On September 2003 some of its territory was handed over to create Ukraine State Aviation Museum which presently is the largest aviation museum in Ukraine, exhibiting some unique Soviet examples including original prototypes for famous airliners.

On January 14, 2011, WizzAir announced that it will be moving all its operations to 'Zhulyany' from Kiev's larger Boryspil Airport.

Railway connection

The airport's passenger terminal is located about 0.5 km away from the Kyiv-Volynskyi rail station - a stop for elektrichka commuter trains as well as for the planned "Urban Electric Train" service.

Future Metro connection

Plans for the Podilsko-Vyhurivska Line, which is now under construction elsewhere in the city, include the Airport transfer station form the 'Zhulyany' Airport. The station is expected to be constructed until 2020.

Kharkiv International Airport

Kharkiv International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Харків"), (IATA: HRK, ICAO: UKHH) is an airport located in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

The airport is the main airfield serving the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. Located to the south-east of the centre, in the city's Kominternovskij district. The main terminal at Kharkiv was built in the 1950s in a socialist neo-classical style favoured by Joseph Stalin; to this day, this is still the main international and domestic terminal at the airport. However, with the awarding of Euro 2012 to Poland and Ukraine, Kharkiv International has built a new modern international terminal in order to comply with UEFA regulations.

Kharkiv International Airport is well served by municipal transport and is connected to the city's wider network of roads and railways via Aeroflotska Street and the M03 national trunk road. The following bus lines procide public transport between the airport and the city of Kharkiv:

Trolleybus 5 - Airport - Universitetska Street (transfer for metro - Prospekt Gagarina)

119 - Airport - Prospekt Pobedy (transfer for metro - Prospekt Gagarina)

152 - Airport - 552nd Mikrorajon (transfer for metro - Akademika Barabashova)

225 - Airport - Metro 'Akademika Barabashova' (transfer for metro - Akademika Barabashova)

The airport also has a number of car rental offices and a large, secure, pay parking area.

Dnipropetrovsk International Airport

Dnipropetrovsk International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Дніпропетровськ"; Russian: Международный аэропорт "Днепропетровск") (IATA: DNK, ICAO: UKDD) is an airport located 15 kilometres (8 NM) southeast from the city center of Dnipropetrovsk in Ukraine.

As of 2011 the airport's owners have initiated a program to develop a new terminal complex at Dnipropetrovsk International. This project will see the construction of a large new international terminal, similar in specifications to the newly-built terminal at Kharkiv International Airport. It is believed that once constructed, Dniproavia and all other international airlines will use the new terminal, whilst domestic and charter carriers will use the 1960s terminal which currently serves as the airport's only passenger handling facility.

Lviv International Airport

Lviv International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Львів") (IATA: LWO, ICAO: UKLL) is an airport in Lviv, Ukraine. In 2007, the airport carried 147,700 passengers. The airport is located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) from downtown Lviv. Facilities at the airport include a café and shop as well as bus services to the city.

It was previously known as the Sknyliv airfield. It was the site of the deadly Sknyliv airshow disaster in 2002.

In preparation for Euro 2012, Lviv International Airport is to undergo a $200m expansion project. Of the $200m, it is expected that the Ukrainian government will provide $70m, including $14m in 2008, and $130m will come from private investors. The expansion project will include a 700 metre extension of the existing runway and a new airport terminal capable of handling up to 1,220 passengers per hour (5.69 million annually).

To accommodate this, restrictions have been put into place:

1. The runway will be temporarily shortened, resulting in difficulties for Turkish Airlines' A319 jets and Lufthansa's CRJ's. Lufthansa has switched Summer 2011 flights to ARJ85 jets to compensate. LOT has downgraded the Embraer 175 and Boeing 737-500 jets they planned to fly to Lviv to ATR 42-500 aircraft. Turkish Airlines has not commented.

2. The airport will be closed on Tuesdays to permit expansion. All airlines excluding Dniproavia have cancelled tuesday flights to Lviv.

3. This is considered a driving force behind Wizz air Ukraine's leaving Lviv- their A320 jets cannot take off from the shortened runway. This, along with their transfer to Kiev Airport from Boryspil, has caused them to re-examine their options.

Donetsk International Airport

Donetsk International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Донецьк") (IATA: DOK, ICAO: UKCC) is an airport in Donetsk, Ukraine. It was built in the 1940s-1950s and rebuilt in 1973.

Aerosvit Airlines İstanbul-Ataturk, Kiev-Boryspil, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Tel Aviv
Armavia Yerevan
Austrian Airlines Vienna
Czech Airlines Prague [begins 25 April]
Dniproavia Ivano-Frankivsk
Georgian Airways Batumi
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw [begins 4 June]
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine Munich
TAM Air Tbilisi
Transaero Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo
Turkish Airlines İstanbul-Ataturk
Ukraine International Airlines Kiev-Boryspil
UTair Aviation Moscow-Vnukovo, Surgut

Odessa International Airport

Odesa International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт Одеса) (IATA: ODS, ICAO: UKOO) is an airport located 7 km (4.3 mi) southwest from the centre of Odessa, Ukraine, sometimes called "Odesa Central" (Одеса Центральний).

It serves both domestic and international flights. Airport's runways either were or are co-used by the Ukrainian Air Force.

The airport was built in 1961.

In 2009, the airport served 651,000 passengers.

In May 2007, the airport started construction work that includes extending the main runway.

The airport has ILS CAT I status.

Simferopol International Airport

Simferopol International Airport (Ukrainian: Міжнародний аеропорт "Сімферополь"; Russian: Международный аэропорт "Симферополь") (IATA: SIP, ICAO: UKFF) is airport in Simferopol, Ukraine. It was built in 1936.

Aeroflot Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Aerosvit Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk, Moscow-Sheremetyevo, Moscow-Vnukovo [begins 1 June]
Seasonal: Tel Aviv
AirBaltic Riga
Armavia Yerevan
Avianova Moscow-Sheremetyevo [begins 15 June]
Azerbaijan Airlines Baku [begins 16 May]
Dniproavia Kiev-Boryspil
Kavminvodyavia Moscow-Vnukovo
Khors Aircompany Kiev-Zhulyany
Kogalymavia Surgut
Mars RK Kiev-Zhulyany
Nordavia Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Rossiya St. Petersburg
S7 Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo, Novosibirsk
Transaero Airlines Moscow-Domodedovo
Turkish Airlines Istanbul-Atatürk
Ukraine International Airlines Kiev-Boryspol
Seasonal: Frankfurt
Ural Airlines Yekaterinburg
UTair Aviation Moscow-Vnukovo
Uzbekistan Airways Samarkand, Tashkent
Wind Rose Aviation Lvov
Wizz Air Ukraine Kiev-Zhuliany

Ukraine

Ukraine's history began with the Kievan Rus', the precursor to the East Slavs. From the 9th century the Kievan Rus' became a large and powerful nation but disintegrated in the 12th century. Ukraine was the center of the medieval living area of the East Slavs. After the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Ukraine was divided between a number of regional powers and, by the 19th century, the largest part of Ukraine was integrated into the Russian Empire with the rest under Austro-Hungarian control. After a chaotic period of incessant warfare and several attempts at independence (1917–21) following World War I and the Russian Civil War, it emerged on December 30, 1922 as one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union. The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic's territory was enlarged westward shortly before and after World War II, and southwards in 1954 with the Crimea transfer. In 1945, the Ukrainian SSR became one of the founding members of the United Nations.

Ukraine became independent again after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Herewith began a period of transition to a market economy, in which Ukraine was stricken with an eight-year recession.Since then though, the economy experienced a high increase in GDP growth. Ukraine was caught up in the worldwide economic crisis in 2008 and the economy plunged. GDP fell 20% from spring 2008 to spring 2009, then leveled off as analysts compared the magnitude of the downturn to the worst years of economic depression during the early 1990s.

Ukraine is a unitary state composed of 24 oblasts (provinces), one autonomous republic (Crimea), and two cities with special status: Kiev, its capital and largest city, and Sevastopol, which houses the Russian Black Sea Fleet under a leasing agreement. Ukraine is a republic under a semi-presidential system with separate legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Ukraine continues to maintain the second largest military in Europe, after that of Russia. The country is home to 46 million people, 77.8 percent of whom are ethnic Ukrainians, with sizable minorities of Russians (17%), Belarusians and Romanians. The Ukrainian language is the official language in Ukraine. Russian is also widely spoken. The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which has heavily influenced Ukrainian architecture, literature and music.

Ukraine: signing of the draft law

Ukrainian Grain Association appeals to the members of the Parliament to decline the draft law #8053* due to its discordance with the national legislation of Ukraine, and also to the standards of the International Law. The above stated law project limits the range of the business entities, which are allowed to export the commodities by the direct agricultural producers within the volumes of own production, and the Government Agent for export provision of the objects of the state price regulation.

Thus, the domestic and foreign wholesale grain enterprises will be removed from the market of the export operations.

Ukrainian Grain Association states it is not allowed to found the monopolist that will have the exceptional right to export the objects of the state price regulation.

Ukraine x-president charged over murder

Ukraine's former president Leonid Kuchma has been charged in connection with the murder of the online journalist Georgy Gongadze, whose brutal slaying in 2000 triggered a national scandal.The prosecutor general's office confirmed on Thursday that Kuchma had been indicted, alleging that he had been responsible for "abuse of power leading to the death of the journalist Georgy Gongadze". But it stopped short of saying that the ex-president, who was in office from 1994 to 2005, had personally ordered the hit on Gongadze.Prosecutors opened a criminal case against Kuchma on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Kyiv the following day, he said that he felt "calm", adding that he was "ready to go through all the torments of hell so everybody knows what I've done and what I haven't done

Ukraine bad asset bank

Ukraine will move bad assets from three nationalised banks into one of them, Rodovid, to revive others, the Finance Ministry said on Friday, a move towards making good on its commitments under an IMF bailout.

Ukraine has pledged to sort out problems in the banking sector under the $15 billion programme that it agreed with the International Monetary Fund last July.

The Fund has delayed the next $1.6 billion disbursement under the programme after Ukraine missed a deadline on implementing a pension reform and sought to soften a planned energy price hike for consumers.

Congratulates Iran on Nowruz

International Day of Nowruz by the UN General Assembly indicates that this holiday, with its rich cultural heritage and centuries-old tradition, plays an important role in enhancing relations between nations based on mutual respect and good neighborly relations, and promotes mutual cultural enrichment,” a congratulatory message released on Ukraine's presidential website read. 

Yanukovych also wished President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad good health and called for the further expansion of relations and cooperation between Kiev and Tehran. 

Nowruz, which coincides with the first day of spring on the solar calendar, is mostly celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Uzbekistan. 

For Iranians, Nowruz is a celebration of renewal and change, a time to visit relatives and friends, and pay respect to senior family members. 

Iranians welcome the New Year by wearing new clothes and setting the Haft Seen, a table containing seven items starting with the letter 'S'; Sabzeh (freshly grown greens), Samanu (sweet wheat paste), Senjed (jujube), Seeb (apple), Seer (garlic) and Somagh (sumac). 

In a congratulatory televised address on the occasion of Nowruz (on Monday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei named the year 1390 (March 2011-2012) as "The Year of Economic Jihad." 

Ayatollah Khamenei also called on Iranian officials and nation to make Jihad-like efforts in order to lay the ground for a decade of economic growth. 

Sell of Naftogaz is a crime

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that the government's intention to privatize a portion of Ukraine's state oil and gas company Naftogaz is a crime.

I think that a real corruption scandal is brewing in Ukraine," she said at a briefing at the Zhuliany Airport on Friday, after returning from Brussels.

"The fact that they are currently planning to take control of some of the [company's] shares and pay almost nothing for them is definitely a crime," she said.

Tymoshenko said that this was linked to the government's intentions to "partially privatize in the shadows" the country's gas transport system, as well as gas storage facilities and entire gas production.

As reported, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych earlier said he did not rule out that a portion of Naftogaz could be sold

Boryspil International Airport

Boryspil International Airport (IATA: KBP, ICAO: UKBB) is an international airport located 6 km (3.7 mi) west of Boryspil, 29 km (18 mi) east of Kiev. It is Ukraine's largest airport, serving the major part of international flights of the country, and is one of three airports that serve Kiev, along with the smaller Zhulyany Airport and Gostomel Airport, a cargo facility used primarily by Antonov. The airport is a member of Airports Council International.

History

On 22 June 1959, the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR ordered establishment of regular civil air traffic to the then military airfield near Boryspil. On 7 July 1959 the new airport (named Kiev-Tsentralnyi) received its first scheduled flight. It was Aeroflot's Tupolev Tu-104 en route from Moscow, carrying 100 passengers and about 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg) of cargo aboard. The first routes served were Moscow–Kiev–Moscow and Leningrad–Kiev–Leningrad.

In November 1960, the first permanent air group consisting of Tu-104 and Antonov An-10 planes was assigned to the airport. Until then the airport had been served only by aircraft based in Moscow and other cities of the Soviet Union. A new passenger terminal of Boryspil airport was opened in 1965. Later that year an automatic landing assistance system was installed in the airport.

In 1963 the Ukrainian Territorial Administration of Civil Aviation formed its Boryspil subdivision consisting of the airport and its air group. The air group grew significantly in 1960-1970s. As of 1974 it was consisting of four fleets of turbofan aircraft (Tu-104, Tu-134, Tu-154 planes) and two fleets of turboprop aircraft (Ilyushin Il-18 planes).

Towards the final decades of the Cold War, the Soviet Air Force maintained a presence at the airport with 1 VTAP (1st Military Aviation Transportation Regiment) flying Ilyushin Il-76 cargo jets.

By 1980s, Boryspil airport had begun receiving limited international flights. The additional passenger services and customs/border control groups were established for that purpose. However, ordinary Soviet citizens were not allowed to depart abroad from Kiev, instead being restricted to flying only from Moscow airports. In the late 1980s, Mikhail Saakashvili, the President of modern Georgia, served his conscript service in the Soviet border guard's Boryspil Separate Group that was maintaining border control in the airport.

In 1993 the Ministry of Transportation of the newly-independent Ukraine reorganized the airport into the Boryspil State International Airport and created a local subdivision of Air Ukraine to serve it. The airport was opened for any passengers and flights. The number of air- and passenger traffic has been growing ever since.

Early in the 2000s, Boryspil became a hub airport serving not only destined but also transit flights of the foreign airlines. The strategy of the airport's development is stressing the hub role since domestic passenger demand is growing insufficiently compared to the possible transit traffic.

In 2001, a new runway was completed and the airport carried 1.5 million passengers. The airport has ILS CAT IIIa status.

In 2002 the airport was certified under the ISO 9001 quality management system.

It is one of Eastern Europe's largest airports with over six million passengers travelling in 2008. The Airport consistently accounted for between 60% and 70% of Ukraine’s air travel demand, and despite a drop of 13% in 2009 it handled 5.8 million passengers last year, more than it handled in 2007.

Development

Boryspil International Airport handles most of Ukraine's international traffic. Terminal B, with only eleven gates, two of which were air bridges, was not enough to handle all international flights from the airport. This was the reason for the expansion of that terminal, which started in 2005. The first-stage expansion of Terminal B was opened on 27 January 2006. In 2008, passport control within Terminal B Departures was moved further east (along with the entrance to the main duty-free shop so that it remains airside).

There are also plans to expand the airport further by building several new terminals. The government has been having meetings with the owners of land around the airport, trying to buy more land for airport expansion. The construction of Terminal D was approved on 28 July 2008 and is expected to be completed by 2011 at a cost of UAH 1,661 billion. The terminal will have a capacity of 1,500 passengers per hour and cover an area of 44.9 hectares. Platform M, which is connected to Terminal B and requires redevelopment, was to be reconstructed in 2009-2010. The reason for the delay in its the reconstruction was the fact that Terminal B needs to be fully operational first. When Terminal D opens (building began on 24 October 2008), platform M can be reconstructed without having a major impact on traffic.

A new runway will be constructed from 2012 to 2014. The construction of Terminal E is slated to be completed by 2012 (should funding and planning permission be in order) and it will have a capacity of 2,000 passengers per hour. As of November 1, 2010, Terminal F is in operation. By 2020, if all plans proceed, the airport should have a capacity of 18 million passengers per year.

New hotels will also open near Boryspil Airport. A Radisson hotel at Boryspil airport will open in late 2011.

On January 14, 2011, WizzAir announced that it will be moving its hub to Kiev's Zhulyany Airport.

Volare Airlines (Ukraine)

Volare Airlines was an airline based in Kiev, Ukraine. It was established in 1994 and operated its first charter flight in November 1995. It operated charter and regular flights from its base airports at Rivne and Kiev.

History

The airline was shut down by the Ukrainian civil aviation authority over safety concerns in 2009. The carrier was also blacklisted by the European Union.

Services

Volare Airlines operates air cargo flights within Ukraine and CIS, Europe, Middle East, Far East and Africa.

Ukraine International Airlines

CJSC Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) (Ukrainian: ЗАТ "Авіакомпанія "Міжнародні Авіалінії України", Mizhnarodni Avialiniyi Ukrayiny, [ˌmiʒnɑˈrɔdni ˌɑwijɑˈʎiɲiji ukrɑˈjɪnɪ]) is the flag carrier of Ukraine, based in Kiev. It operates scheduled domestic and international passenger and cargo services to cities in western Europe. Its main base is Boryspil International Airport (KBP). Also, it is the largest airline in Ukraine.

History

The airline was established on 1 October 1992, and started operations on 25 November 1992. It was one of the first joint ventures with foreign capital in Ukraine and was the first airline in the CIS to introduce new Boeing 737 aircraft. The founding shareholders were the Ukrainian Association of Civil Aviation and Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), an Irish aircraft-leasing company. In 1996, Austrian Airlines and Swissair became shareholders, investing US$9 million in new equity. In 2000, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development became a shareholder by investing $5.4 million. In February 2011 Ukrainian government sold its 61,6% stake in UIA to three existing minority shareholders for Hr.287 million ($36.2 million). Currently, the airline is owned by UIA Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH (59%), UIA Holding (26%), and Capital Investment Project (15%).

Its growth plans that included expansion into Eastern Europe and North America were brought to a halt by a rapid expansion of its domestic rival, private Aerosvit Airlines. As the routes it was intending to introduce had already been taken up by its more aggressive competitor, Ukraine International has had to concentrate on its core Western European destinations.

Aerosvit Airlines

Closed joint stock company "AEROSVIT AIRLINES" (Ukrainian: ЗАТ "Авіакомпанія "АЕРОСВІТ"), operating as AeroSvit Ukrainian Airlines (Ukrainian: АероСвіт - Українські Авіалінії) which is one of the two Ukrainian flag carriers, operates currently the largest network (among other Ukrainian carriers) of scheduled international flights, performing scheduled domestic and international services directly or by code share to over 70 destinations including long-haul international services to China, India, Thailand, Canada and the USA, as well as charter services. Its main base is Boryspil International Airport, Kyiv.

Claude Lanzmann

Claude Lanzmann (born 1925 in Paris) is a French filmmaker and professor at European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.

Lanzmann attended the Lycée Blaise-Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand. He joined the French resistance at the age of 18 and fought in Auvergne. Lanzmann opposed the French war in Algeria and signed the 1960 antiwar petition Manifesto of the 121.

Lanzmann's most renowned work is the nine-and-a-half hour documentary film Shoah (1985), which is an oral history of the Holocaust, and is broadly considered to be the foremost film on the subject. Of particular note is that Shoah is made without the use of any historical footage, and only utilizes first-person testimony from Jewish, Polish, and German individuals, and contemporary footage of several Holocaust-related sites.

Lanzmann persuaded Polish resistance fighter Jan Karski to be a witness in Shoah by calling forth—once again—his historical responsibility. Simultaneously, the complete text appeared in English translation, with introductions by Lanzmann and Simone de Beauvoir, providing multiple keys to the philosophical and linguistic preoccupations of the producers. It was also through Shoah that many viewers were first introduced to the work of American Holocaust historian Raul Hilberg.

Lanzmann has disagreed, sometimes angrily, with attempts to understand the why of Hitler, stating that the evil of Hitler cannot or should not be explained and that to do so is immoral and an obscenity. 

Lanzmann is chief editor of the journal Les Temps Modernes, which was founded by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. In 2009, Lanzmann published his memoirs under the title "Le lièvre de Patagonie" (The Patagonian Hare).

Filmography)

Tsahal (1994)

A Visitor from the Living (1997)

Sobibor, Oct. 14, 1943, 4 p.m (2001)

The Karski Report (2010)

Bibliography

“From the Holocaust to the Holocaust”. Telos 41 (Fall 1979). New York: Telos Press.

Lanzmann, Claude (1985), Shoah: An Oral History of the Holocaust;The Complete Text of the Film, New York: Random House

Tags:HollyWood Stars, World Twitter, UK Finder

(source:wikipedia)

London Fashion Week February 2011

London Fashion Week February 2011 is underway once again, presenting an innovative and diverse schedule with emerging talent showing side by side with iconic British designers and brands to an expected audience of over 5,000 buyers, T.V. and radio crews, fashion editors and writers. London Fashion Week is the international showcase for one of the UK’s most important creative industries.

The BFC is delighted to be playing host to a record number of American buyers. Barneys and Saks fifth Avenue, regular visitors to London Fashion Week, are being joined by Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus and boutiques such as Opening Ceremony and H. Lorenzo, who are attending for the very first time. French and Italian interest is as keen as ever with Colette, Le Bon Marche and L’Eclaireur, La Rinascente, Biffi and Penelope, among others , all visiting London Fashion Week this February. Other European and Eurasian markets strongly represented include Belgium, Spain, Germany, Russia and Ukraine while China is becoming an exciting new consumer of UK fashion with multi-brand stores emerging in Beijing and Shanghai, joining representatives from the big department stores from Hong Kong such as Joyce and Lane Crawford. Meanwhile, Japanese support for British design goes from strength to strength with significant orders from the likes of Isetan, Beams and Takashimaya.

Top international press include Editors-in-Chief from six editions of Vogue – Anna Wintour US Vogue, Australia’s Kirstie Clements, Daniela Falcao from Brazil, Cristiane Arp from German Vogue and Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia as well as the newly appointed Emanuelle Alt of French Vogue. France is also represented by Le Figaro, Le Monde, Grazia and L’Express while a strong American showing includes Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Interview, Marie Claire, The New York Times, V and W Magazines. Fashion publications and broadcasters from Scandinavia, Benelux, South America, Eastern Europe and the Far East are all sending internationally renowned stylists, fashion editors, writers and bloggers.

Such impressive international presence at London Fashion Week is in large part due to the BFC‘s Guest Programme supported by UK Trade & Investment. The Guest Programme was set up in 2002 as part of a scheme to promote London Fashion Week internationally. The focus in the early seasons was on the American, French and Japanese markets and was targeted at buyers but now the scheme is offered to leading members of press as well and guests come from a large number of territories. Over the last eight years the programme, which forms part of the BFC’s strategy of business support for emerging British talent, has generated significant press coverage and substantial orders and has directly contributed to the success of many British fashion designers especially the recipients of the BFC’S fashion initiatives NEWGEN sponsored by Top Shop, Fashion Forward supported by Coutts & Co and Vogue’s Fashion Fund.

International press and buyers come to London for the creative energy and raw talent on show but the BFC’s Guest Programme scheme also enables London Fashion Week to compete with the brand-led markets of New York, Paris and Milan in terms of the quantity and quality of designers showing and the business and advertising revenue this subsequently generates.

Susan Haird, Acting Chief Executive of UK Trade and Industry comments,“London Fashion Week is an excellent platform for British designers to showcase to the international fashion community the creative, edgy brilliance of our multi-billion pound fashion industry, which is worth £21 billion to the UK economy and supports 1.31 million jobs. We look forward to partnering once again with the British Fashion Council to assist new and exciting designers make their mark in key international markets.”

(source:creativeboom.co.uk)

Ukraine Cooperates With the United States in the Energy Sector

KYIV, Ukraine, February 21, 2011 /Ukraine Twitter/ -- Governments of Ukraine and the United States discussed further cooperation in the nuclear energy sector and signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of shale gas exploration in Ukraine, as reports the press service of the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine. The issues of the Ukrainian energy sources diversification such as LNG-terminal construction and exhausted gas fields rehabilitation were also discussed during the second session of a Ukrainian-American working group on energy security.

The Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine Yuriy Boyko emphasized the necessity to further develop Ukraine's cooperation with the U.S. in the nuclear energy sector in the area of nuclear plants' safety enhancement, extending life of existing reactors, nuclear fuel supplies and building storage facilities for the depleted fuel. He noted that Ukraine is interested to continue implementation of the International Nuclear Safety Program, the ten-year long (1993-2003) U.S. Department of Energy initiative in safety improvement of nuclear power plants built in the Soviet time.

In addition to nuclear safety, the minister also discussed the ways to diversify Ukrainian energy production. One such method could be the increase of shale gas production, which has recently changed the situation at the world gas market. According to the preliminary scientific studies, Ukraine has significant potential for its shale gas bearing formations.

Both Ukrainian and the U.S. governments plan to implement projects aimed at rehabilitation of the exhausted gas fields in Ukraine. Yuriy Boyko noted that the Ukrainian state-owned companies such as Naftogaz and Ukrnafta need technological cooperation to increase gas recovery in the insufficient or exhausted fields.

Yuriy Boyko also spoke of the steps undertaken by the Ukrainian government in order to diversify energy resources and natural gas suppliers. "Ukraine is interested in cooperation with American energy companies in order to complete the LNG-terminal project," said the minister.

Furthermore, Ukraine hopes to diversify the supply of liquefied natural gas from North Africa, Middle East and Azerbaijan. So far, Azerbaijan has confirmed its intention to sell Ukraine five billion cubic meters of LNG per year. The construction of the LNG terminal in the Black Sea region with the capacity of 10 billion cubic meters is planned for 2014.

(source:prnewswire.com)

Ukraine to Develop its own Modern Missile Complex

KYIV, Ukraine, February 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukraine will build its own up-to-date missile complex called Sapsan. The new multi-functional missile complex is expected to combine the features of a tactical missile complex and a multiple rocket launcher. This was announced during the visit of the Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to Kharkiv City, Eastern Ukraine.

The missile range stated by the developer (the Pivdenne Design Bureau in Dnipropetrovsk) is up to 280 kilometers. The new weapon is expected to be tested in 2012-2013 and enter service in 2015. The estimated construction cost of the new missile system is 3.5 billion UAH (USD 440 mln.)

When asked about the readiness of the modern Sapsan missile complex, Viktor Yanukovych reassured that the government is set to carry out this plan within the shortest timeframe as well as to make sure the project is properly financed. The president has referred to Sapsan as to the "most up-to-date" missile system to be constructed in Ukraine.

In addition, the Ukrainian president highlighted that the government plans to back up Ukraine's participation in preparation of the space launching site in Brazil and support such major projects as Dnipro, and Cyclone-4.

In recent years Ukraine has occupied one of the world's leading positions among the countries that produce rocket launchers. Another world-known achievement of Ukraine is production of the ecologically sensitive rocket complex Zenit, one of the best rocket carriers with a fully automated preparation and launching process. The carrier is produced by Pivdenne Design Bureau. Zenit will serve as a base for creating an entire family of prospective space carriers. Moreover, Kharkiv based design bureau Khartronis a leading think-tank of Ukrainian missile construction industry. Khartron is among the three design bureaus in the world, capable to produce sophisticated missile control systems. Ukraine is one of the three successors of the Soviet Union's space industry potential. Moreover, Ukraine is one of the five countries in the world, which has a complete rocket production cycle. Ukrainian companies that work in the space industry utilize most of the known space technologies and participate in 50 international space projects.

(source:prnewswire.com)

Gazprom says no revision of gas contract with Ukraine

Russian gas giant Gazprom is not planning to revise its gas supply contract with Ukraine, CEO Alexei Miller said on Monday.

"Under the current contract, gas is supplied with a 30% discount compared to the price for European consumers. We do not plan any changes to the price formula or the contract," Miller said.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it wanted to revise the contract. Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said recently that Kiev would continue pressing for changes to the price formula.