KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ Yevhen Kushnariov, a senior member of the pro-government Regions Party, was in a critical condition on Tuesday after apparently being shot by accident during hunting, party officials said.

KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ The pro-government coalition will appoint a new foreign minister in the middle of February if President Viktor Yushchenko refuses to replace Boris Tarasiuk from the post, a senior government official suggested Tuesday.

KIEV, Jan. 16 - Ukraine's exports of natural gas to Europe fell 45% on the year to 2.7 bln cubic meters in 2005, down from 4.9bcm exported in 2004, a Fuel and Energy Ministry official said that Ukraine exported 1.9bcm of gas to Germany in 2005.

KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ Ukraine will seek to increase dramatically rent payments it charges Russia for stationing its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko said.

KIEV, Jan. 16 ??“ Electricity output in the Ukrainian grid in 2005 grew by 2.1% or by 3.8 bln kWh on the year to 185.2 bln kWh, the Energy and Fuel Ministry reported.

KIEV, Jan. 16 - Ukraine??™s largest natural gas producer UkrGazVydobuvannya and the third-largest gas producer ChornomorNaftoGaz agreed on joint gas extraction from Odessa gas field offshore the Black Sea, an UGV official said Monday.

KIEV, Jan. 13 - Parliament has overridden President Leonid Kuchma's veto of a law that raises the subsistence minimum by UAH70 to UAH 432, Interfax-Ukraine reported.

KIEV, Jan. 13 - Ukraine's longterm hopes of joining the European Union were boosted on Thursday when the European parliament voted overwhelmingly to open the door to possible membership.

KIEV, Jan. 13 - The latest legal maneuvers by the team of former Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych may succeed in stalling the inauguration of opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko by weeks, at the least dashing hopes that Ukraine would have seen an orderly transfer of presidential power as soon as this week.

KIEV, Jan. 14 - Presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko spent UAH16.8 million (about $3.1 million) on his election campaign, while his opponent Viktor Yanukovych spent UAH14.4 million.