Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Belarus

Yushchenko Demands Parliament Annul Vote To Dismiss Government

Yuriy Yekhanurov, (caretaker) prime minister of Ukraine (file photo) (AFP)

12 January 2006 -- Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has demanded that parliament annul its vote to dismiss the government.

TEXT SIZE - +

January 12, 2006

Yushchenko told an emergency cabinet meeting on 11 January that he had signed an appeal to lawmakers demanding they cancel what he describes as an "unconstitutional" decision to sack the government.

The Ukrainian parliament voted on 10 January to dismiss the government of Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov over a gas deal struck with Russia in early January that critics argue harms Ukraine's national interests.

The deal ended a dispute over gas prices that had seen Russia cut off supplies to Ukraine.

Following the 10 January vote, parliament asked Yekhanurov's government to stay on in a caretaker capacity until parliamentary elections are held in March.

(Interfax-Ukraine, AFP, AP, Reuters)

RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, And Moldova Report

SUBSCRIBE For weekly news and analysis on Belarus, Ukraine, and Moldova by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Belarus, Ukraine, And Moldova Report."

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More