Moscow, March 17 : A daring Hollywood-style attempt to spring two inmates from a penal colony in Ukraine was foiled by prison guards, the country's penitentiary service said.

A helicopter carrying two accomplices of the inmates, armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, which later turned out to be a dummy, landed on the territory of the Petrovskaya penal colony.

The prison guards stopped the helicopter's takeoff, detaining the escapees and their accomplices, the service said.

Kiev, Jan 24 - Ukraine boosted its production of crude steel by 5.7 percent to 35.3 million tonnes in 2011, said a report by the World Steel Association (WSA).

Ukraine is the world's eighth largest steel producer, according to the report.

The world's crude steel production reached 1.527 billion tonnes in 2011, increasing by 6.8 percent year on year, reported Xinhua citing a media report.

China was the world's top steel maker in 2011, with a production of 695.5 million tonnes.

Observers have said that about 100 Ukrainian journalists took part in a march in Kiev protesting media censorship by the government.

RIA Novosti reported on Sunday that the journalists, members of a Stop Censorship movement, marched on Ukraine's Journalists' Day demanding an end to censorship of mass media.

The protesters, escorted by police, marched from the Kiev main post office to the buildings of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers, the Supreme Rada and the presidential administration.

According to some media reports, Russia has said that it's considering a gas discount for Ukraine in exchange for being allowed to participate in Ukrainian energy projects.

The state-run news agency RIA Novosti has reported that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said on Saturday, "One of the questions we are definitely discussing is the possibility of a [gas] discount."

Prime ministers of Ukraine and Russia said on Friday that the two countries have agreed to compromise on natural gas prices.

Kiev - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin gave critical support to hopes for stable natural gas deliveries to Europe, saying he found working with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on energy "comfortable," according to Friday news reports.

"She (Tymoshenko) is a tough negotiator," Putin said, as a smiling Tymoshenko looked on. "But we have always been able to agree, and, in spite of all difficulties, we have managed to keep to all our commitments."

Donetsk, Ukraine  - When Otto Rehhagel won the European Championship with Greece in 2004 his success was hailed a miracle.

If the German coach wants to take the Greek side to next year's World Cup finals in South Africa he will need a minor rerun of the miracle that took the team to victory in Portugal five years ago.

After Saturday's first leg play-off for a place at the World Cup finals against the Ukraine, the advantage is firmly on the Ukrainian side.

The goalless draw in Athens is not a result that will instil Greek fans with a lot of confidence ahead of Wednesday's return leg in Donetsk.

Kiev  - The Greek national side was on Thursday attracting unprecedented attention among Ukrainian football professionals and amateurs alike, as the former Soviet republic counted down to the first of a two-game qualification play-off for the 2010 World Cup.

Ukraine's coaching staff had reviewed game tapes for the last eleven matches played by Greece, in preparation for the upcoming Saturday match in Athens, the authoritative Komanda sports newspaper reported.

Kiev - Ukraine's deadly flu outbreak spiked on Wednesday, as senior government officials warned of a "battle" to control the disease's spread.

Flu and flu-related symptoms has killed 189 persons in the former Soviet republic, with 15 deaths reported on Tuesday, according to data made public on Ukraine's Ministry of Health website.

The increased death rate followed Tuesday statements by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko that Ukraine's severe flu outbreak was showing signs of abating.

Kiev - Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko on Tuesday said new flu infections had dropped by a factor of four, signaling, she said, dramatic success in controlling the disease's spread.

"All across Ukraine we have, at minimum, a four-fold drop (in flu infection rates) as compared with their peak from the second to the fourth of November," Tymoshenko said, in remarks reported by the Interfax news agency.

Kiev - The number of deaths and infections from flu were still rising in Ukraine on Monday, as government officials argued the outbreak was showing signs of stabilizing.

"Today we clearly had certain positive signs of a reduction in the flu infection rate," said Prime Minister  at a meeting with World Health Organisation officials. "We are seeing a positive trend."

Kiev  - Ukraine will pay off its most recent outstanding gas debt to Russia by drawing on a special use International Monetary Fund (IMF) account, government officials said Friday.

"I hope that by the end of today (Friday), we can inform you of a successful result in our work," said Valentyn Zemliansky, spokesman for state-owned Naftohaz Ukrainy, according to an Interfax news agency report. "Ukrnafta fulfills its obligations."

Kiev  - Ukraine will pay off its most recent outstanding gas debt to Russia by drawing on a special use International Monetary Fund (IMF) account, government officials said Friday.

"I hope that by the end of today (Friday), we can inform you of a successful result in our work," said Valentyn Zemliansky, spokesman for state-owned Naftohaz Ukrainy, according to an Interfax news agency report. "Ukrnafta fulfills its obligations."

Moscow/Kiev  - Winter is fast approaching, and chilling hints of new heating disruptions ahead are wafting westward again from Russia.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has been warning the European Union of late that supplies of Russian natural gas via pipelines crossing Ukraine - about 20 per cent of the EU's total consumption - could be in jeopardy.

Kiev - Ukraine's deadly flu outbreak widened on Wednesday, as government officials announced new emergency measures in an attempt to control the spread of the illness.

More than 450,000 people were registered with national health authorities as suffering from the flu, of whom 11 had confirmed cases of swine flu, according to Helath Ministry spokesman Oleksander Velovol said.

Kiev - Ukrainian traffic police halted a Russian army lorry column reportedly loaded with cruise missiles, the Interfax news agency reported Tuesday.

The stand-off took place in the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol after Ukrainian officials stopped and ticketed Russian service personnel for operating military vehicles in an urban area without proper permits.

Kiev  - The death toll from a flu outbreak in Ukraine reached 70 on Tuesday, as shortages of medical supplies continued in the former Soviet republic.

The epicentre of sickness was the western Lviv province, where the officially given fatality count from flu infection was 30 people, according to an Interfax news agency report.

Other provinces hit by widespread severe flu infections, called by some Ukrainian officials an epidemic, included the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk provinces, with a total of 28 deaths.

Moscow  - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has called on the European Union to help finance the supply of Russian natural gas to Ukraine, which has repeatedly had problems paying its bills.

After a meeting with Danish Prime Minister Lars Rasmussen on Monday in Moscow, Putin said that the EU should come up with at least a billion dollars, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

"Why are they being so stingy? They have money too," Putin said.

Russia has already paid Ukraine 2.5 billion dollars, he said.

Kiev  - The death toll from a swine flu outbreak in Ukraine rose to 34 on Saturday, as the government announced new measures to control the spread of the virus.

Two of the victims were infants, Health Minister Vasyl Kniazevych told Channel 5 television.

As of Saturday morning, the flu was thought still to be limited in to the country's western provinces, but because of the number of suspected cases, a spread was likely, he said.

Kiev - A recently-instituted Ukrainian ban on public gatherings to halt a swine flu outbreak could place upcoming football matches with Inter Roma and the Greek national side in jeopardy, a senior government official said Friday.

"Everything that concerns football leagues, there will be discussions and certain consultations," said Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, at a Kiev press conference.

Ukrainian officials Tuesday morning announced the probable deaths of 11 persons to the swine flu virus.