tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100074742009-07-03T13:51:08.430+03:00Daily news and other information from the city made famous around the globe by the "Orange Revolution".Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.comBlogger4724125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-53660752163891021542009-07-03T13:43:00.002+03:002009-07-03T13:51:08.442+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- One of the countries worst hit by the financial crisis is Ukraine, with its economy shrinking 21% in the first quarter of 2009. At the same time, the government has come to a virtual standstill, as politicians fight among themselves ahead of a presidential election. Amid all the turmoil, the country's healthcare system is suffering, says the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse in Kiev.

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-14986943181859946002009-07-03T06:39:00.002+03:002009-07-03T06:45:10.850+03:00

MOSCOW, Russia -- This was supposed to be Russia’s round in the battle over its backyard. All year, despite its own economic spasms, Moscow has earmarked great chunks of cash for its impoverished post-Soviet neighbors, seeking to lock in their loyalty over the long term and curtail Western influence in the region. The KremlinBut the neighbors seem to have other ideas. Belarus — which was promised

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-68909358541635480482009-07-02T18:42:00.001+03:002009-07-02T18:45:55.644+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine will continue arms deliveries to Georgia despite objections from Russia, a Ukrainian government official said Thursday. Ukrspetsexport at a trade show.'We have made deliveries (to Georgia) in the past, and we will continue as long as there are no bans (to the deliveries) from United Nations Security Council,' said Serghy Bondarchiuk, director of Ukraine's state-owned arms

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-43165452726233565032009-07-02T11:50:00.003+03:002009-07-02T11:56:04.261+03:00

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Ericsson is paving the way for leading Ukrainian operator Kyivstar to offer its 23.9 million subscribers mobile broadband services under a three-year network modernization deal between the two companies.While Ukraine awaits the imminent release of 3G licenses, Kyivstar's customers across 99.9 percent of the country will be able to access multimedia data services and superior

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-16123800602051318882009-07-01T08:55:00.002+03:002009-07-01T09:01:54.705+03:00

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia -- A local corruption reporter in Russia died of head injuries on Monday in what police, said Tuesday, was a drunken fall. Colleagues, on the other hand, are sure it was a revenge attack for muckraking journalism. Vyacheslav YaroshenkoVyacheslav Yaroshenko, 63, the editor of a Rostov-on-Don newspaper whose name translates as Corruption and Crime died Monday of a severe head

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-71679665297047807772009-07-01T08:27:00.002+03:002009-07-01T08:31:43.065+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine's economy shrank 20.3 percent in the first three months of this year, official data showed on Tuesday, making Ukraine one of the world's worst hit countries in the global economic crisis. An elderly homeless woman drags her belongings as she walks in the centre of western Ukrainian city of Lviv.The National Statistics office data, based on a comparison with the first

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-46602954413262644442009-06-30T20:24:00.003+03:002009-06-30T20:32:19.440+03:00

WASHINGTON, DC -- "Iran is now on the verge of an Orange-style Revolution." This statement is likely to elicit enthusiasm from those working tirelessly to promote democracy in Iran. Ukraine's Yushchenko (L) and Iran's Mousavi (R).However, the term "Orange Revolution" has become a misnomer. Yes, the Ukrainian uprising was "Orange." But it was not a revolution. Ultimately, it brought no fundamental

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-22928522853712126892009-06-30T08:36:00.001+03:002009-06-30T08:39:31.294+03:00

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union said Monday it will push Ukraine to reform its natural gas sector in return for an international loan package to help pay a multibillion dollar debt to Russia.Ukraine and Russia started talks with international banks Monday, seeking some $4.2 billion to restock Ukraine's gas stores for next winter and help it pay for monthly gas imports from Russia.An EU

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-68891051091396559072009-06-30T08:16:00.003+03:002009-06-30T08:22:56.642+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Facing a reported $1.2 billion budget deficit, accusations of corruption, and a parliamentary commission investigation, Leonid Chernovetsky, mayor of Kiev, knew he needed to give the performance of his life. Kiev Mayor Leonid ChernovetskyHe didn’t disappoint. After jogging and doing 15 chin-ups, he stripped down to a Speedo and swam 15 meters. “I want to demonstrate to the whole

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-41170928496112811852009-06-29T06:42:00.003+03:002009-06-29T14:16:50.201+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine is opening up part of its old KGB archive, declassifying hundreds of thousands of documents spanning the entire Soviet period. KGB headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine.But the move to expose Soviet-era abuses is dividing Ukrainians, the BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse reports from Kiev.Deep in the bowels of Ukraine's former KGB headquarters there is a deathly silence. Thousands of boxes

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-50194994611401939912009-06-28T09:56:00.002+03:002009-06-28T10:03:09.296+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Following the recent backdown over the presidential veto by President Viktor Kuschenko of the Ukraine, the gambling ban has been imposed with immediate effect in the Ukraine, reports Ukra News. And the ban includes online gambling.The text of the law was published in the Holos Ukrainy (Voice of Ukraine) newspaper, on June 25, enforcing the vote of the Verkhovna Rada despite

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-15240148462621735522009-06-28T09:04:00.003+03:002009-06-28T09:12:36.113+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- The party of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko called on its deputies to quit the pro-Western government coalition of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, the Interfax news agency reported. The party of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, pictured, called on its deputies to quit the pro-Western government coalition of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.Relations have been

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-78966903726821908012009-06-27T06:46:00.003+03:002009-06-27T06:53:55.426+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- On June 28, 1996, Ukraine became the last Soviet republic to adopt a post-Soviet constitution, and that day was designated Constitution Day, a national holiday. Two years later, on October 21, 1998, the Crimean Autonomous Republic adopted its own constitution, recognizing the peninsula within Ukraine. Ukraine's constitutional wrangling has turned President Viktor Yushchenko (L)

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-73861833828187176742009-06-27T06:03:00.002+03:002009-06-27T06:16:55.445+03:00

LONDON, England -- Charities who help children affected by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster are urging the government to allow youngsters from Ukraine to enter the UK without paying visa fees. Experts say holidays abroad can add up to two years to the life of a child.Children from neighbouring Belarus are allowed in for nothing, but each Ukrainian child has to pay a £70 ($115) visa fee.The

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-75828549166525669452009-06-26T09:27:00.002+03:002009-06-26T09:34:33.568+03:00

MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian historians widely recognize June 27, 1709 as the date their country became a great power. Russia that day defeated an invading Swedish army at Poltava in Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces allied with Sweden were also vanquished. The Battle of Poltava is not just history, but another source of ongoing friction between Moscow and Kiev. Ivan Mazepa's portrait on Ukraine's 10-

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-84444670242531254872009-06-25T08:25:00.002+03:002009-06-25T08:29:38.860+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine President Victor Yushchenko believes acute financial problems caused by the global economic crisis could result in the country failing to co-host Euro 2012 with Poland as planned. "We are halfway through the year and haven't achieved one 11th of what is planned," Yushchenko told the Interfax news agency Wednesday.Yushchenko accused his country's government of endangering

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-73507526976721613382009-06-25T08:12:00.002+03:002009-06-25T08:18:45.538+03:00

STUTTGART, Germany -- The U.S. military has called off an annual multinational training exercise scheduled for next month off the coast of Ukraine, where political turmoil has crippled the former Soviet-bloc nation’s ability to make the necessary preparations.U.S. European Command was forced to withdraw after the Ukrainian parliament failed to grant permission for foreign militaries to enter the

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-88437838725600258412009-06-25T07:54:00.004+03:002009-06-25T08:02:29.197+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- State bank Oshchadbank, a key link in financing Ukraine's troubled energy company Naftogaz, forecasts an improved first half profit in 2009 of 600 million hryvnias ($79 million), its chief executive officer said on Wednesday. Oshchadbank headquarters in Kiev, UkraineThe bank recorded a profit of 180.2 million hryvnias in the same period last year."The state has turned towards

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-58239254825836461232009-06-24T06:52:00.003+03:002009-06-24T07:02:14.912+03:00

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Ukraine’s ambassador to the European Union said today the nation may get a $4 billion loan led by the International Monetary Fund within days to pay for Russian gas.NAK Naftogaz Ukrainy, Ukraine’s state-owned energy company, said last week it is counting on EU help in receiving credit from international financial institutions for natural-gas payments to Russia’s OAO Gazprom.

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-52390177174453914792009-06-23T07:15:00.003+03:002009-06-23T07:49:23.032+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukraine, which has suffered a roundhouse blow from the economic crisis, has had no finance minister since February. It also has no foreign minister or defense minister. The transportation minister just stepped down. The interior minister has offered to resign as well, after being accused of drunken behavior. Orange Revolution heroes Yulia Tymoshenko and Viktor Yushchenko are no

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-63307472524807826172009-06-23T06:55:00.003+03:002009-06-23T07:47:14.945+03:00

WASHINGTON, DC -- US Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Georgia and Ukraine next month for talks on boosting the former Soviet republics' economies and supporting democratic reforms, his office said Monday. Both trips involve political sensitivities with Russia, and the visit would come shortly after US President Barack Obama travels to Moscow. US Vice President Joe Biden.Biden's office

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-89603943831314645052009-06-22T20:57:00.003+03:002009-06-22T21:03:14.294+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- There will be no Sea Breeze naval exercises with NATO forces in Ukraine's Crimea this summer, a source in the Ukrainian Navy command said on Monday. U.S. sailors aboard the Guided Missile Destroyer Mcfaul take part in fire drill during the Sea Breeze-2008 NATO military exercises in the Black Sea port of Odessa July 15, 2008. Naval and air forces from 15 countries took part in the

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-16043200151573746802009-06-22T20:45:00.001+03:002009-06-22T20:48:36.033+03:00

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Brussels called for talks with Russian and international monetary officials in an effort to avert a gas crisis stemming for Ukrainian economic troubles. Jose Manuel Barroso, was confirmed for a second term as European Commission president.Jose Manuel Barroso, who was confirmed for a second term as European Commission president, said the European Union would talk with gas and

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-83302298757460383302009-06-22T16:00:00.002+03:002009-06-22T16:03:44.769+03:00

KIEV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian border guards seized 250 turtles being smuggled into the country on a train, where they had been hidden and strapped down with tape to prevent them from moving, officials said on Monday.The turtles were seized late on Sunday at the Ukrainian-Russian border on a train from the central Asian country of Uzbekistan, the Ukrainian border guard service said in a statement.The

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10007474.post-78735327416951087182009-06-21T22:04:00.000+03:002009-06-22T16:15:27.408+03:00

NOVI SAD, Serbia -- Central European leaders from 14 countries have called for more regional cooperation in the wake of the global economic crisis and for a better distribution of energy resources. Central European leaders meet for the 16th time.At a regional summit in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, host president Boris Tadic led the calls for solidarity in dealing with both economic and energy

Nicholashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11870310932017443794noreply@blogger.com0