Ukrainian Foreign Minister Klimkin Visiting China
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin will visit China on April 27-28 for meetings with his Chinese counterpart and other senior officials.
"We have been preparing this visit for a long time. I will work for a couple of days in the Celestial Empire," Klimkin wrote on Twitter ahead of his visit.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's press service said on April 26 that the agenda includes negotiations with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, meetings with senior Chinese officials, and attendance at the fifth meeting of foreign ministers from member states and observer states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia.
Based on reporting by Interfax
Ukrainian Talk Show Host Loses Work Permit, Vows Hunger Strike
A prominent Ukrainian talk show host was stripped of his work permit on April 26, sparking an uproar that forced Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to defend his record on media freedom.
Savik Shuster -- a 63-year-old Canadian who was born in the Soviet Union and had previously worked for RFE/RL -- accused Kyiv of not supporting free speech.
"As it turns out, this government does not tolerate any criticism," he said on his satellite television channel.
He announced he was going on a hunger strike "until...my right to work in Ukraine is restored."
Ukraine's employment office told Shuster that his work permit was revoked because he had failed to notify authorities that he was under investigation by tax authorities.
"Freedom of speech is one of Ukraine's greatest achievements," Poroshenko countered on Facebook. "As the guarantor of the constitution, I have and will protect free speech in all its forms. That is why I hope that the corresponding agencies resolve this matter as soon as possible."
Shuster has produced his political talk show Shuster Live for years. He vowed to continue his work without a permit.
Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
We are now closing the live blog for today. Until we resume again tomorrow morning, you can catch up with all our other Ukraine coverage here.
This video from RFE/RL's Russian Service on Chernobyl's longstanding Jewish heritage is not directly related to the current crisis, but most Ukraine watchers will find it interesting, especially today, the 30th anniversary of the disaster:
Chernobyl's Lasting Jewish Legacy
Chernobyl is known as the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster. But the Ukrainian town has a much deeper meaning for a New Yorker named Yitz Twersky. He recounts his family history, which originated in what he calls "the seat of the Twersky Jewish dynasty."
