KIEV, Sept. 13 – The introduction of a monopoly on the processing, clearing and performing of cross payments on transactions with payment cards, as foreseen in a bill before Parliament, could lead to the isolation of the Ukrainian payment card market from the international payment infrastructure, according to Svitlana Heorbelidze, the head of the Visa office in Ukraine.

KIEV, Sept. 13 - Ukraine announced plans to reduce imports of Russian natural gas by 10% in 2013 after the two countries failed to make significant progress in talks over lower natural gas prices.

KIEV, Sept. 12 – Nearly two-thirds of Ukrainians are not happy with their lives, according to an August 12-22 poll by Research & Branding Group.

"Regardless of the region they live in, 62% of the Ukrainians are not happy. Thirty-five percent are satisfied with their life, and 3% are unable to answer the question," Group founder Yevhen Kopatko said in Kiev on Monday.

KIEV, Sept. 12 – Ukraine's Cabinet has instructed the State Environmental Investment Agency to transfer emission reduction units equivalent to 7.5 million tons of CO2 to other states and buyers authorized by them.

KIEV, Sept. 12 – Flight attendants working for the Kiev-based AeroSvit airline are to launch a strike at 0001 on September 28 in protest of what they say are violations of their social and economic rights.

KIEV, Sept. 12 – Ukraine and the United States are planning to put into operation in 2012 one of key facilities for solid rocket fuel disposal from SS-24 intercontinental ballistic missiles at Pavlohrad Chemical Plant in Dnipropetrovsk region.

KIEV, Sept. 13 – The net worth of Ukrainian banks shrank by 1.7%, to UAH 130.5 billion in August, the National Bank of Ukraine reported on its official Web site.

KIEV, Sept. 13 – Claims by grain traders that the State Customs Service is creating artificial obstacles to grain exports from Ukraine are untrue, Deputy Customs Chief Serhiy Semka said at a press conference in Kiev.

KIEV, Sept. 13 – Crimea's authorities have called for the creation of a regional office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in Simferopol to boost foreign investment in the region.

KIEV, Sept. 10 - Nestle S.A. will open a center in Lviv to manage and service its companies in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a posting on the company’s website.