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Pigs from quarantine zones in African Swine Fever-infected areas in Ukraine will be allowed to be sent for slaughter and used for processing and further production of sausages.

That was announced in updated veterinary instructions aimed to combat the virus released by Ukraines State Veterinary and Phytosanitary Service (Gosvetphitosluzba), late April.

Previously, instructions in place since March 2014 had ordered that all pigs from affected areas should be culled and burnt, while pigs from the surrounding quarantine areas were not allowed to be sold, transported or slaughtered.

Boris Kobal, the head of the food safety department of Gosvetphitosluzba said that the old version of the instruction was no longer meeting the needs of the time and required updating, the services website reported.

The new instruction, he said, introduces new definitions of biological safety. It distinguishes between farms with high levels of biological safety versus infected facilities, and also specifies closed pig farm operations. It facilitates veterinary control during African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreaks, as it, not only allows healthy pigs to be sent for slaughter, but it also reduces the required limits of quarantine zones. This is because surveillance zones are also being installed, where enhanced veterinary control is applied, but not as strict as in quarantine zones.

Irina Palamar, head of the Association of Livestock Producers (ALP) in Ukraine has welcomed the adopting of the new veterinary instruction. On the ALPs website, she said that it should gradually improve the effectiveness of the anti-epizootic measures.

Ms Palamar added that the permission to send healthy pigs for processing instead of destroying them was the essential change that for a long time has been requested by professional organisations and industry experts. The safety of manufactured meat, she said, can be confirmed by clinical tests.

Previously, instructions in place since March 2014 had ordered that all pigs from affected areas should be culled and burnt, while pigs from the surrounding quarantine areas were not allowed to be sold, transported or slaughtered. Photo: Iwona Markowska-Daniel

ALP spent a lot of effort sharing the pig farmers opinion to authorities and now believes that this has paid off. On some points, however, Ms Palamar said that even the new regulation still needs further specification.

The new regulation gives much power to the state services regional offices, which is believed to work highly efficiently as well as professionally, Ms Palamar said.

According to Gosvetphitosluzba, 2017 has already become the worst year in terms of the ASF spread in Ukraine with nearly 70 outbreaks reported since the beginning of the year. In comparison to 2016, which for the entire year Ukraine officially registered 91 outbreaks of the virus.

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Ukraine: Pigs in quarantine zone can be slaughtered - Pig Progress (registration) (blog)

Portugal was the top vote-getter in the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, the annual festival traditionally watched by a television audience of an estimated 200 million people.

Portugal, behind singer Salvador Sobra, was declared the winner early on May 14 in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. The winner was determined by a combination of points awarded by national juries and voting by telephone and text message from participant countries.

Ukraine won the right to host the event by virtue of winning the event last year.

The winning song was titled Amar Pelos Dois, giving Portugal its first victory since it initially entered the contest in 1964.

The final featured performers from 26 countries, including artists from Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, and host Ukraine.

Portugal had 758 points. Bulgaria finished second with 615, while Moldova was third with 374.

Azerbaijan was 14th with 120 points, Belarus 17th with 83, Armenia 18th with 79, and Ukraine 24th with 36.

The 27-year-old Sobral and Italy's Francesco Gabbani, who finished sixth, were touted as the favorites, according to bookmakers. The youngest entrant, Bulgaria's 17-year-old Kristian Kostov, had been ranked third.

Security was reportedly intense, as the country is fighting a conflict against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine

President Petro Poroshenko announced on Facebook that he was canceling a planned appearance at the event because of a shelling incident in the eastern city of Avdiyivka that left four civilians dead.

This year's competition saw some controversy when Ukraine barred Russia's entry, Yulia Samoilova, from coming to Kyiv because she had performed in the Russia-annexed Ukrainian region of Crimea in 2015.

Russia, in response, decided not to allow her to participate by video or to send another contestant. Russia has also decided not to show the event on television.

Before the final night, it emerged that Bulgarias Kostov had also performed in Crimea soon after Moscow's illegal annexation, but Ukrainian officials said she was allowed to enter Ukraine now because she had been just 14 at that time.

The Eurovision contest began in 1956 with just seven entrants.

Read the rest here:
Portugal Wins Eurovision Song Contest; Bulgaria Second; Moldova Third - RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

New York Times

Questions Surround Ukraine's Bailouts as Banking Chief Steps Down New York Times But at the same time, anticorruption groups have been raising questions over where those billions of dollars have gone, concerns that have been amplified after Ukraine's central bank chief resigned amid an investigation into a bailout of the country's ...

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Questions Surround Ukraine's Bailouts as Banking Chief Steps Down - New York Times

Last night, President Trump tweeted something kind of strange a photo of him withRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, pasted right next to a picture of him beaming near the gruff-looking Ukrainian foreign minister, Pavlo Klimkin.

Underneath, the president noted that those two meetings between countries that are, effectively, at war happened on the same day (though not at the same time).Lets Make Peace! He signed underneath, as if the quick Photoshop job was a commemorative poster.

In sending that tweet, Trumps aim seems pretty clear. Hes being hammered in the media for inviting Lavrov and Sergey Kislyak to the Oval Office. Critics say its just one more example ofthe administrations weakness toward Russia, and Trumps affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin. This little missive was his way of undercutting that message, suggesting that hes not Putin's puppet. Otherwise, why meet with one of Putins enemies? Why call for peace, something that will almost certainly involve Russia returning Crimea to its former owner?

Trump's administration seems to support Ukraine.Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that the United States will continue to support sanctions. We do not and will not accept Russian efforts to change the borders of the territory of Ukraine, he said at a meeting of NATO ministers.Vice President Pence reaffirmed that commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrityat a May 10 meeting, according to a readout.

But Trump's tweet undermined that message, experts say. It was bad diplomacy, and may make it harder for the president to accomplish his goals.

Hosting both leaders in the Oval Office, they say, sends a clear message: that Trump views both countries as equals, and that he expects both to make concessions. That's antithetical to the official United States position.

It seems odd, both in content and style, that a president would signal via Twitter that he is treating the two countries equally without consultation of NATO allies with whom we are joined in sanctions on Russia because of its behavior in Ukraine, Harvard Kennedy SchoolProf. Joseph Nye said in an email.Nye has served as a deputy undersecretary at the State Department; an assistant secretary of defense with a focus on international security; and chair of the National Intelligence Council.

Nick Burns, a former Foreign Service officer with decades of diplomatic experience, agreed. Frankly, this is a superficial tweet that won't move the diplomacy forward, he wrote in an email. There is little trust in his leadership in Europe and Ukraine. Much more impactful, Burns suggested, would be Trumppubliclycriticizing Russia for its actions.

Marc Berenson, an expert onthe post-Soviet worldat Kings College, said that he hasn't seen much reaction to the tweet in Russia or Ukraine. The Kremlin would not comment.

Marvin Kalb, a Harvard professor, went even further. The tweet, he said, made it seem like Trump had cut some kind of deal between the two countries. In fact, the leaders met separately. It's not clear that Trump even mentioned Ukraine to Lavrov.Russians and Ukrainians, he said, "know the difference and know that he is playing PR games, using them for domestic political reasons.It won't work, here in political Washington or in Russia or Ukraine, making ultimate negotiation that much more difficult."

What's more, he said, the very notion that Trump would meet with Lavrov because Putin asked him to is dangerous. Trump coming through as too eager to strike some sort of deal with Russia, giving Putin the negotiating advantage, he wrote. They will meet soon, but seriously doubt both can achieve anything more than a good story.

More:
Trump's tweet on Russia and Ukraine wasn't just silly: It's bad ... - Washington Post

A worker paints the Soviet-era monument in rainbow colours in Kiev, during preparations of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest. (Picture: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Activists have spoken of the terrifying circumstances faced by gay and transpeople in Ukraine ahead of Eurovision.

Ukraine won the singing contest last year in Stockholm which sparked immediate concern for the safety of its LGBT fans.

This years theme is Celebrate Diversity, and the local Kiev municipality have started painting the Soviet-era rainbow-shaped sculpture in the colours of LGBT pride.

But according to local activists, who spoke to Metro.co.uk, the paint job was abandoned after disruption from far-right nationalists.

With thousands of European fans expected to travel to Ukraine for the song contest, some locals are now expressingworry.

Olena Shevchenko, an LGBT and womens rights activist based in Kiev, told Metro.co.uk: Everyone should be careful.

Central Kievmight be more or less safe and there are LGBT clubs, but dont go out after midnight and dont stay in those areas outside of the central region.

Olena has run the activist group Insight for 10 years and provides refuge for those fleeing discrimination.

LGBT people, she said, often face extreme violence.

She said: Its very violent.Kiev is the most multicultural place [in Ukraine], but there are many examples of beatings and rape on account of people being LGBT.

They are under reported because many will never go to the police.

Police in Ukraine are reportedly reluctant to investigate violence against LGBT individuals so Olena said she is attempting to educate them across the country.

While Olena is getting involved in Eurovision, other groups are focusing instead on next months Pride march.

Last years march was said to be the first non-violent one, but some locals warnedagainst LGBT westerners parachuting themselves into Ukraine.

Maxim Eristavi was once the only openly gay journalist in Ukraine.

Speaking to Metro.co.uk from Prague, he said there are just 15 LGBT people living openly in the public eye in Ukraine.

It is bleak, he said. There is not a single law [to protect us], no hate crime legislation and no recognition of the situation.

He added: As a citizen of Ukraine you dont exist in the eyes of the state, and there are no civil rights. We dont even know how many violent attacks are taking place against LGBT people. There is no such crime; no statistics.

This is basic stuff. Were not looking at marriage equality like in the west, but just basic protection.

Eurovision is expected to bring thousands of openly gay people to the country sparking hopes among some that the situation may improve.

But Maxim points out that Azerbaijan and Russia both previously hosted the event, but neither saw a positive change in LGBT rights.

Eurovision is the responsibility of each broadcaster of the nation it is being hosted in. Maxim said they were ashamed of even mentioning the community.

He said he met with the organisers to press for a strategy against violent attacks on LGBT people, but was told bluntly that there would be no special protection for the community.

Olena said Insight, however, is planning to become an integral part of the Eurovision fan zone.

They are going to distribute leaflets explaining the precarious situation for LGBT people in Ukraine.

The situation for gay people became markedly more violent after the Euromaidan Revolution.

Olena told Metro.co.uk that nationalist groups are now being seen as heroes thanks to their role in fighting Russian separatists.

She explained: They say they want to protect traditional values.They are against gender equality and anti-migration. With Maidan they gained credibility and visibility.

Despite their fears, both Maxim and Olena are remaining positive.

Olena said that the song contest would bring long overdue discussions about gay rights in Ukraine.

As for LGBT Brits heading to Kiev, Maxim claimed that foreigners are never safer than in Ukraine.

But the British Government was cautious.

Although the UK Foreign Office refused to add comment when asked about the situation LGBT people might face coming from Britain, their website did discuss it.

It warns: Although homosexuality is not prohibited by law, public attitudes are less tolerant than in the UK and public displays of affection may attract negative attention.

There is no provision under Ukrainian discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. The Kiev Pride in June 2016 passed off without incident.

With tonight being the big night, all eyesare on Kiev to see just how committed to celebrating diversity Ukraine is.

The Ukrainian broadcaster, UA:PBC, told Metro.co.uk:Security measures are one of the most important criteria of choosing the city for Eurovision. Kyiv has proved the ability to guarantee safety of its guests on various events: Euro 2012,Hockey championship 2017, Kyiv Pride 2016 equality march, many marathons and demonstrations for human rights.

The national police and law enforcement agencies are being constantly trained and their professionalism leaves no doubt.

The city is sure to make all guests feel comfortable and safe and have unforgettable emotions after visiting Ukraine.

More here:
Eurovision 2017: LGBT activists describe anti-gay violence in Ukraine - Metro