Ukraine Prosecutors Probe Tymoshenko Over Killing

Ukraine will take a first major step away from dependency on Russian gas supplies on Thursday when it seals a $10 billion shale gas deal with Royal Dutch Shell. Due to be signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the production sharing agreement will mark the biggest contract yet to tap shale gas in Europe and the largest single foreign investment in the former Soviet republic.

Ukrainian prosecutors said Thursday they had opened a new criminal probe against former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko on suspicion of abusing power while in office.She is accused of exceeding her authority in a purchase of 1,000 new Opel Combo vans for the health service that lost the state some $8.3 million dollars, the prosecutors said in a statement.Officials said they had no immediate plans of placing the former Orange Revolution leader under arrest."To date, there is no reason to arrest her," said prosecutor Olexander Kalifistky.

Ukraine has paid Russia for October gas supplies, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko said on Friday, after her Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin had warned against late payment."Today we've paid Russia the next 500 million dollars (336 million euros)," Tymoshenko said during a visit to the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol.Late last week, Putin said Ukraine appeared to be struggling to pay for its Russian gas supplies again and accused President Viktor Yushchenko of seeking to provoke a new gas crisis.

Viktor Yanukovych was to be sworn in as Ukraine's fourth president Thursday with the country still locked in crisis as his defeated election rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, clings to office.Yanukovych will take his oath in parliament at 0800 GMT by placing his right hand on a 16th-century Ukrainian-language gospel and a copy of Ukraine's constitution.

Ukrainian prosecutors are reopening an investigation into alleged bribery by former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko that was suspended in 2005, shortly after she came to power.