ABU DHABI, Nov. 17 – The United Arab Emirates has reached preliminary agreement with Ukraine on the acquisition of an An-148 aircraft, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said.

KIEV, Nov. 18 – Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko recently had a secret meeting with George Soros, the U.S.-based financier and currency speculator, seeking his advice on how to deal with the escalating financial crisis in Ukraine.

KIEV, Nov. 18 – The hryvnia lost value rapidly against the U.S. dollar on Tuesday amid signs the National Bank of Ukraine was reconsidering its policy of “unlimited” interventions to back the local currency.

MOSCOW, Nov. 17 - Experts estimate the damage caused to the environment by the disaster in the Kerch Strait at 304 billion rubles, Nikolai Bezirganin, the head of the Azov-Black Sea territorial department of the State Fisheries Committee, told Interfax.

KIEV, Nov. 16 - President Viktor Yushchenko on Friday urged Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych to submit a report within days on the environmental impact of a recent major Russian fuel oil spill in the Kerch Strait.

KIEV, Nov. 16 - Ukraine and Russia will sign an agreement next week covering natural gas supplies and prices in 2008, Ukraine’s top negotiator on the issue told President Viktor Yushchenko on Friday.

DONETSK, Nov. 18 – At least 72 coal miners were killed and dozens were missing Sunday after a powerful methane gas blast ripped through a coal mine in Donetsk region, emergency ministry officials said.

NEW YORK, Nov. 17 - U.S. experts in biological and chemical warfare believe by a 70-30 margin that Ukrainian democratic opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko was poisoned during the election campaign, a U.S. analyst said.

KIEV, Nov. 15 - Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate, attacked his opponent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych on economy and corruption issues during live television debates Monday night.

KIEV, Nov. 16 ??“ Ukraine??™s security service, or SBU, will provide high-tech support to protect a computer vote counting system at the Central Electoral Committee during the crucial presidential election Sunday, officials said Tuesday.