ID :
140088
Tue, 08/31/2010 - 12:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/140088
The shortlink copeid
Moldova marks National Language Day.
CHISINAU, August 31 (Itar-Tass) - Moldova marks the National Language Day on Tuesday.
Nationwide celebrations and concerts will bring together governmental
officials and members of the public, including those representing the
national minorities.
The National Language Day was established twenty years ago after the
republic's parliament proclaimed Moldovan as the official language and
switched it from the Soviet-era Cyrillic to the Roman script.
In 1994 this provision was fixed in the Constitution. The adoption of
the law evoked tensions in the society - population of the Dniester region
and Gagauzia demanded the granting of the official status to the Russian
language, as more than one third of Moldova's population speaks it.
Tensions escalated into the armed conflict and led to the country's
split. Since then language disputes continue. In 2001 the Communist Party
came to power in Moldova with slogans in support of the Russian language
as the country's second official language. But it failed to fulfil the
promises over protests organized by the pro-Romanian opposition in
Chisinau.
Last year the Communist Party lost the election and the coalition of
the Liberal Democratic Parties came to power. The leader of the Liberal
Democratic Party and Moldova's Acting President, Mihai Ghimpu, pledged
that the Moldovan language will be replaced by Romanian in the amended
Constitution. Although the coalition has not enough votes in the
parliament to submit the amendments, practically in all state institutions
Romanian was named the country's official language.
Although the Law on Functioning of Languages adopted in 1989 envisages
the use of the Russian language alongside the official language, it is
often violated. Public utilities' tariff sheets, judicial reviews and
information on the composition of medicines and food are not translated
into Russian. The Russian language is disappearing from the names of
streets and official institutions.
.Ukraine to face buckwheat deficit - anti-monopoly committee.
KIEV, August 31 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee said
the situation on the buckwheat market is explained by objective factors,
the committee's chairman, Alexei Kostusev, told a roundtable meeting.
Every year Ukraine reduces buckwheat crop areas and the buckwheat
harvest also declines.
"In 2010 the crop areas for buckwheat production totalled 215,000
hectares as against 273,000 hectares in 2009 and 425,000 hectares in
2005," he said.
This year's buckwheat output will comprise 160,000 tonnes, which will
allow to produce 90,000 tonnes of buckwheat grain.
Experts say Ukraine's annual domestic consumption of buckwheat is
150,000 tonnes.
"Taking into account experts' forecasts Ukraine will face the deficit
of buckwheat," Kostusev said.
He noted that earlier Ukraine imported buckwheat from Russia, which
forced Ukraine's buckwheat producers to reduce prices for this crop.
"This year Russia also faces the buckwheat deficit," he said.
Kostusev said the anti-monopoly committee submitted several proposals
to the country's president and prime minister to stabilize the situation
on the domestic buckwheat market.
The committee proposes to regulate crop rotation and buy for the
production reserves no less than 10 percent of the buckwheat annual
consumption, i.e. no less than 15,000 tonnes.
Moreover, the committee calls for controlling buckwheat prices from
producing and packaging companies to retail networks.
.Public Chamber reports 8% staple foods price growth in August.
MOSCOW, August 31 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Public Chamber tracked food
prices in major cities in August to find out that the prices for staple
foods increased by 8 percent.
"The prices for the minimal food basket in St. Petersburg, Nizhny
Novgorod, Rostov and Novosibirsk increased and reduced in Moscow,
Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Stavropol," the Public Chamber said in a
statement.
"Over the summer drought Russia will face a lower grain harvest," said
Mikhail Popov, a Public Chamber member, who heads the working group on the
agricultural complex and food markets.
"The wholesale grain prices grow, which results in higher retail
prices for foodstuff, mainly crops and bread," he said.
Popov noted that there is no linear dependence between the grain
prices and retail prices on products with higher added values such as
bread and meat.
"The thing is that the share of the grain cost in the retail bread
price is slightly more than 15 percent, while that in the price of pork
and poultry ranges from 15 percent to 30 percent," he said.
-0-isk/
Nationwide celebrations and concerts will bring together governmental
officials and members of the public, including those representing the
national minorities.
The National Language Day was established twenty years ago after the
republic's parliament proclaimed Moldovan as the official language and
switched it from the Soviet-era Cyrillic to the Roman script.
In 1994 this provision was fixed in the Constitution. The adoption of
the law evoked tensions in the society - population of the Dniester region
and Gagauzia demanded the granting of the official status to the Russian
language, as more than one third of Moldova's population speaks it.
Tensions escalated into the armed conflict and led to the country's
split. Since then language disputes continue. In 2001 the Communist Party
came to power in Moldova with slogans in support of the Russian language
as the country's second official language. But it failed to fulfil the
promises over protests organized by the pro-Romanian opposition in
Chisinau.
Last year the Communist Party lost the election and the coalition of
the Liberal Democratic Parties came to power. The leader of the Liberal
Democratic Party and Moldova's Acting President, Mihai Ghimpu, pledged
that the Moldovan language will be replaced by Romanian in the amended
Constitution. Although the coalition has not enough votes in the
parliament to submit the amendments, practically in all state institutions
Romanian was named the country's official language.
Although the Law on Functioning of Languages adopted in 1989 envisages
the use of the Russian language alongside the official language, it is
often violated. Public utilities' tariff sheets, judicial reviews and
information on the composition of medicines and food are not translated
into Russian. The Russian language is disappearing from the names of
streets and official institutions.
.Ukraine to face buckwheat deficit - anti-monopoly committee.
KIEV, August 31 (Itar-Tass) - Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee said
the situation on the buckwheat market is explained by objective factors,
the committee's chairman, Alexei Kostusev, told a roundtable meeting.
Every year Ukraine reduces buckwheat crop areas and the buckwheat
harvest also declines.
"In 2010 the crop areas for buckwheat production totalled 215,000
hectares as against 273,000 hectares in 2009 and 425,000 hectares in
2005," he said.
This year's buckwheat output will comprise 160,000 tonnes, which will
allow to produce 90,000 tonnes of buckwheat grain.
Experts say Ukraine's annual domestic consumption of buckwheat is
150,000 tonnes.
"Taking into account experts' forecasts Ukraine will face the deficit
of buckwheat," Kostusev said.
He noted that earlier Ukraine imported buckwheat from Russia, which
forced Ukraine's buckwheat producers to reduce prices for this crop.
"This year Russia also faces the buckwheat deficit," he said.
Kostusev said the anti-monopoly committee submitted several proposals
to the country's president and prime minister to stabilize the situation
on the domestic buckwheat market.
The committee proposes to regulate crop rotation and buy for the
production reserves no less than 10 percent of the buckwheat annual
consumption, i.e. no less than 15,000 tonnes.
Moreover, the committee calls for controlling buckwheat prices from
producing and packaging companies to retail networks.
.Public Chamber reports 8% staple foods price growth in August.
MOSCOW, August 31 (Itar-Tass) - Russia's Public Chamber tracked food
prices in major cities in August to find out that the prices for staple
foods increased by 8 percent.
"The prices for the minimal food basket in St. Petersburg, Nizhny
Novgorod, Rostov and Novosibirsk increased and reduced in Moscow,
Yekaterinburg, Khabarovsk and Stavropol," the Public Chamber said in a
statement.
"Over the summer drought Russia will face a lower grain harvest," said
Mikhail Popov, a Public Chamber member, who heads the working group on the
agricultural complex and food markets.
"The wholesale grain prices grow, which results in higher retail
prices for foodstuff, mainly crops and bread," he said.
Popov noted that there is no linear dependence between the grain
prices and retail prices on products with higher added values such as
bread and meat.
"The thing is that the share of the grain cost in the retail bread
price is slightly more than 15 percent, while that in the price of pork
and poultry ranges from 15 percent to 30 percent," he said.
-0-isk/
