Rail Travel news.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has set up the Homilshanski Lisy national nature park in the territory of Zmiiv and Pervomaisk districts in Kharkiv region.

Ukrainian News learned this from the presidential press service.

The park was created in order to restore and guarantee rational use of typical and unique forest-steppe natural complexes of the Siverskyi Donets river basin having important nature protection, scientific, esthetical, recreational and sanitary significance, the press service says.

Kuchma put the park under subordination of the State forestry committee.

The territory of the park is 14,314.8 hectares, including 3,377.3 hectares of land given to the park for permanent use and 10,937.5 hectares included into the park without withdrawal from their owners.

Kuchma ordered the Forestry Committee to prepare together with the state administration of Kharkiv region materials for the settlement of the question of giving over lands to the park, draft and submit within two months for endorsement of the Environmental Protection Ministry the provision on the park, and guarantee drafting in 2004-2005 a project for organizing the park territory.

Kuchma also ordered the Cabinet of Ministers to provide during the formation of state budgets funds for the maintenance of the park.

As Ukrainian News reported, in April Kuchma formed the Ichnia national nature park in Ichnia district, Chernihiv region, and in August Halytskyi national nature park in Ivano-Frankivsk region.

The number of all kind of transport which crossed the Ukraine border in June-August 2004 has been increased almost  by 25% as compared with the same period
last year and the number of foreign citizenes - by 35%. This information transfered by "Interfax - Ukraine" was decleared by Sergey Semco the director of the State custom house control system.
 
According to his information it could take place particularly due to minimization of the bureacracy at the border contol which initiated by the State custom house control system two years ago as well as due to regulating the custom house law according to the world international standards and significant decrease of the  custom house proceedure. And particularly, according to Mr. Semko statements, that only 15% of Ukraine citizens fill the declarations.
 
As the deputer director  of the department for battle with custom house law delinquency Mr Kharkavy mentioned, from 467 delinquencies revealed by the custom contol office while crossing the "green corridor", 407 were  mentioned  from the side of foreign guests, it means that 9 from 10 delinquencies are related with the foreign persons.
 
Now the State custom house is developing the system of mutual cooperation of the custom-house service  represented by both neighbouring countries.
For the moment we have already two such contol services.

ACCORDING TO UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN MARKIAN LUBKIVSKY, LIKELY DATES FOR SIGNING AN AGREEMENT ON VISA-FREE TRAVELS BY UKRAINIAN NATIONALS TO RUSSIA AND VICE VERSA WERE ADJUSTED DURING UKRAINIAN-RUSSIAN CONSULTATIONS INTO CONSULAR-LEGAL MATTERS, WHICH WERE HELD AT THE LEVEL OF THE TWO FOREIGN
MINISTRIES' CONSULAR SERVICE CHIEFS.

Border guards of the State Border Service have tightened up control at all sections of the state border in a bid to prevent terrorist acts on the Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian News learned about the event from the press report of the State Border Service.

According to the press report, border guards are making every effort to prevent smuggling of terror devices through checkpoints.

In particular, they have stepped up passport control and inspection of vehicles and cargoes.

As Ukrainian News earlier reported, on Wednesday morning of September 1 unknown insurgents, about 15 or 25 persons, took children, their parents and teachers hostage at school No. 1 in Beslan, North Ossetia, Russia.

In different reports the number of hostages varies from 300 to 1000.

The terrorist attack took place near the Rizhskaya subway station in Moscow on Tuesday evening of August 31, as a result of which ten people were killed and 51 injured. Forty-nine people were taken to hospital.

According to the preliminary information from investigators, a suicide female bomber blew up an explosive device stuffed with bolts and other metal items at 20:15 on Tuesday.

On August 26, all Ukrainian airports stepped up security in the wake of the two plane crashes that occurred in Russia on August 24.

A Tu-134 plane and a Tu-154 plane disappeared from radar screens within a few minutes of each other after taking off from the Domodedovo airport on August 24.

Debris from the Tu-154 plane and body parts was found nine kilometers south of the Gluboky village (Kamensk-Shakhtinsky district of the Rostov region) while the Tu-134 plane was found two kilometers north of Buchalki village (Tula region).

The Tu-154 plane sent a hijacking alert before disappearing from radar screens.

ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN KYIV, HRH PRINCE MICHAEL OF KENT WILL REPRESENT HM THE QUEEN DURING THE PROGRAM OF EVENTS TO COMMEMORATE THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CRIMEAN WAR, WHICH WILL BE HELD IN CRIMEA ON 9-10 SEPTEMBER.
HE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE FIRST SEA LORD, ADMIRAL SIR ALAN WEST, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO UKRAINE ROBERT BRINKLEY, AND BRITISH DEFENCE ATTACHE IN UKRAINE CAPTAIN ROB DREWETT (ROYAL NAVY).