Here is a more detailed story on the Bush Leg (chicken legs) contraband. People are smuggling (not paying duty taxes) on the chicken and selling it in Moldova and Ukraine.

After years of impasse, officials in Ukraine and Moldova, at the encouragement of the United States and Europe, are pressing for a solution to the conflict in Transnistria. And they are doing so at the risk of inflaming Transnistria's separatist sentiment and worsening relations with the region's patron, Russia.

The goal, a senior U.S. official said, is to "effect a change in the status quo."

"The only other country that could do that is Russia," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic protocol. "And they are not interested."

Transnistria is one of the "frozen conflicts" that emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union. For a long time, Ukrainian businesses and politicians provided support by tolerating -- and some say profiting from -- the exports that poured in and out of landlocked Transnistria through the Black Sea port of Odessa. The election of President Victor Yushchenko a year and a half ago appears to be changing that.

From: Ukraine, Moldova step up fight against unregulated trade in naked border region

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This is the first appearance in the finals for Ukraine, coached by Oleg Blokhin, a star in 1970s when he played for the USSR. Now a member of parliament, Blokhin has alternated claims that his team is capable of winning it all and that his team is not good enough. There is a lack of international experience (most of his players are with Ukrainian clubs), but he does have a superb game-winner in Andrii Shevchenko, arguably the sharpest finisher in the world today.

From: Around the World in 32 Teams

Am I reading this right? Ukraine is going to win the World Cup?

The Ukrainians now need just a draw in the final round to ensure first place, while the fight for the silver medal is between Russia and China.

From: Humpy loses for 2nd time as India lose to Ukraine

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NATO is participating in a Ukrainian run military exercise called Exercise Sea Breeze. Some Marines were greeted with protesters. The Marines were on a bus and one of the protesters decided to throw a rock. It broke a window but no one was hurt.


Here is the article that is really interesting. The US keeps protesting that it isn't creating a NATO base. However the local Crimean politicans keep claiming they are.

Their proof?

Contraceptives

Feodosia Russian Community Chairwoman Nelli Protasova stated at a news conference in Simferopol that “pregnancy tests” are listed as cargo too (she refused to explain, where she obtained the cargo list from). “It means; they are going to live here for a very long time, using our women,” Protasova stated.

From: Ukraine: NATO servicemen have brought contraceptives and pregnancy tests into Crimea

If you want more information on the politics of this situation, read Crimea Gets On Yushchenko’s Maneuvers.