2. The leonids through the ages

COMET Р55ЯЕМРЕІ-ТиТТІЕ and its associated Leonids meteor storm have long been known to astronomers, but have a tendency to disappear for extensive stretches of time. The comet probably crossed Earth's orbit for the first time in 868 A.D., say astronomers. The first written account comes from Chinese astronomers in 902 A.D. Through the centuries, witnesses continued to record the appearances of the Leonids storm in awestruck terms. «Stars fell like rain,» reads one account. Observers generally failed to notice the cyclical nature of the event, however.

Following a particularly intense Leonids storm in 1833, in which 240,000 meteors per hour were estimated to have fallen over Boston during a 9-hour period, interest in the Leonids picked up. In fact, the Leonids storm is credited with sparking the formation of a religious revival movement that swept the United States in the 1830s.

In 1866, Ernst Tempel and Horace Tuttle calculated the comet's orbit to be every 33.3 years. That same year, the Leonids stalled Europe with another intensive storm, proving the accuracy of Tempel's and Turtle's calculations. Then, inexplicably, the Leonids storm faded from view for the next 100 years.

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3. Russian cuts customs points from 15 to 4

MOSCOW. According to a report from Ukrainian News, the Russian government has reduced the number of customs border points at the Russian-Ukrainian border through which Ukraine can export goods like alcohol and cigarettes. The number has been cut from 15 to 4 and comes in the wake of protests from Russian domestic producers who are afraid that VAT-free goods from Ukraine will compete unfairly. VAT on goods between the two countries was scrapped Feb.

4. Italian embassy unveils carra exhibition

KYIV. The Italian Embassy and Ministry of Culture have teamed up to unveil an art exhibition of the works of Carlo Carra. The exhibition will run one week before heading to L'viv. This is the first event held by the Italian Embassy in accordance with the co-operation agreement it signed with Ukraine's Culture Ministry.

5. Committee approves ukrtytan founding

KYIV. The anti-monopoly committee has given the green light for the creation of the UkrTytan corporation in Kyiv. The co-founders of the new corporation are the Zaporizhya titanium-magnesium integrated works, the Tytanium research institute and UkrKolyorProm, both of whom are state-run, and the Paton Institute of Welding. The main aim of the new company will be to raise funds for the modernization of production of titanium sponge at the Zaporizhyan integrated works and the installation of equipment to cast sponge ingots. The total value of the project is estimated at US $20mn. UkrTytan's president will be Volodymyr Bakumenko, general manager of the Zaporizhya titanium-magnesium plant.

6. Nbu urges to initiate banking changes

KYIV. The NBU has urged the VR to supplement its law on banks and banking with a new provision ordering commercial banks

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to notify the former by April 1 whether they have increased their statutory funds to the mandatory level of ECU 1 mn. According to the NBU, two commercial banks have failed to comply with the demand, while 17 others have increased their statutory funds but failed to notify the NBU about changes made.