KIEV, Nov. 10 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Tuesday faced attacks from across the political spectrum for the government’s refusal to increase minimum wages and pensions, a sensitive issue that affects millions of voters.

KHERSON, Nov. 10 – President Viktor Yushchenko has again stated that the presidential election date of January 17, 2010 will not be postponed.

"Voters should be ready to go to the polls on January 17 and express their position," he said live on Kherson regional television late on Tuesday.

Yushchenko said that the elections are a test for the public.

MOSCOW, Nov. 11 - Russia will reduce the supply of transit gas via Ukraine if the latter starts taking energy resources illegally, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

KIEV, Nov. 11 - Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Wednesday the government had an “understanding” with Russian gas company Gazprom over avoiding penalties for the country’s failure to import the promised amount of gas in 2009.

KIEV, Nov. 11 – In order to obtain its next loan tranche from the International Monetary Fund, the government will ignore legislation that calls for increasing social spending until the Constitutional Court rules on the matter, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said.

KIEV, Nov. 11 – The government’s efforts to fight the swine flu will come to a standstill soon unless the National Bank of Ukraine immediately disburses one billion hryvnias, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said Wednesday.

KHERSON, Nov. 10 – President Viktor Yushchenko said he is confident that the Constitutional Court will confirm the correctness of his decision to support an increase in social standards, in particular, the living wage.

KIEV, Nov. 11 – President Viktor Yushchenko has vetoed a law passed by Parliament to increase tobacco excise taxes.

Yushchenko said the increase in tobacco excise taxes stipulated in the law redoubles the risk of tobacco smuggling from neighboring countries, and may lead to a reduction in jobs in the industry.

KIEV, Nov. 12 – President Viktor Yushchenko and the government still are far from reaching a compromise on the issue of social and economic policy as part of Ukraine's cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, Oleksandr Shlapak, the Presidential Secretariat's first deputy head, told journalists.

KIEV, Nov. 12 – Ukrainian government will return to considering the issue of raising gas prices for households and heat supply companies after the ‘political crisis’ comes to an end, according to Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.