The opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc says it is blocking the work of today's plenary sitting in Parliament due to the majority's refusal to consider a bill on a moratorium on food prices. The news was announced by YTB MP Andriy Kozhemyakin today. Kozhemyakin said: "The faction is blocking the rostrum… due to the fact that the threat currently exists of an economic collapse, and our political force insists that the first thing to be considered on Wednesday is a bill on a moratorium on food prices". He added that when the parliamentary opposition appeals to the ruling coalition it does not hear it.

MPs have decided not to send to the Constitutional Court the latest draft changes to the Constitution of Ukraine, which they considered during the previous plenary week on October 8. A total of 254 MPs voted to annul the decision. Amongst other things, the draft spoke of extending the term of MPs to five years. Under the current Constitution of Ukraine, that is, under the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine, which came back into force after the Constitutional Court overturned the 2004 political reforms on October 1, the term is four years.

Parliamentary speaker Volodymyr Lytvyn announced at this morning’s plenary sitting of the Ukrainian Parliament that the faction of the opposition Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc has expelled MPs Oleh Lyashko and Serhiy Osyka from its ranks. He said that the MPs were expelled in accordance with a decision adopted by the YTB faction on October 18.

The law on changes to Parliament's Rules has come into effect with its publication in today's edition of the official parliamentary newspaper Holos Ukrayiny. President Viktor Yanukovych signed the law on changes to Parliament's Rules yesterday.

American Councils for International Education present a new professional exchange program – Legislative Fellowship Program, which is financed by the US Department of State, coordinated by National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) together with American Councils for International Education which is the official program coordinator in Ukraine.

Oppositionist and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has said that the Constitutional Court's decision on October 1 to repeal the political reform adopted in 2004 and restore the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine was illegal and that it would be repealed "sooner or later".

The Ukrainian Parliament held another Government question hour during this morning's plenary sitting at the request of the parliamentary opposition. It had originally requested the presence of Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Serhiy Tyhypko but he is away on government business in the US. Several ministers and deputy ministers answered questions in his place.

The Ukrainian Parliament today adopted draft law (No 7199) on parliamentary Rules in the final reading. The new law attempts to bring the parliamentary Rules into line with the 1996 Constitution of Ukraine, which is now in effect after the Constitutional Court of Ukraine scrapped constitutional reform adopted in December 2004 at the height of the protests known as the Orange Revolution.

The Ukrainian Parliament today adopted a draft law (No 7199) on parliamentary Rules in the final reading. A total of 253 MPs voted in favor of the law. Most of these votes came from the pro-presidential Party of Regions (172), Communist Party (27) and Lytvyn Bloc (20).