A Ukrainian woman rummages in rubbish bins in Kiev's Independence Square for scraps to feed the many homeless dogs she has taken in.

Mrs Chirac unveils memorial to artist

Aalborg were thrust on to the European stage yesterday in the aftermath of the "fur coats" bribe scandal involving Dynamo Kiev. Uefa, football's European governing body, announced the Danish champions would replace Dynamo in this season's Champions' League, assuming a ban on the Ukrainian champions is confirmed.

Moray House Theatre (venue 168), 37 Holyrood Road (0131-556 0102) 8.35pm; to 27 Aug

Oles Gonchar was the author of some 20 novels, translated into every important European language, and a dedicated politician in his native Ukraine.

Crimean coup

When we grew up, Igor was special - but only as a friend We were under no illusions about the possibility of arrest

JOHN LAWLESS, Cardiff Devils' player-coach, wrote in the club's programme before this weekend's European Cup quarter-finals: 'The whole game plan will be based on the three Ds - defence, discipline and desire.' Add a fourth D - for delight.

Sir: I read your advertisement ('Independent/Lufthansa two- for-one offer', 27 September) about Kiev with growing amazement. Certainly your writer has not visited this beautiful city as an independent traveller.

WHEN Ukraine declared itself independent two-and-a-half years ago it gave itself a new flag, renamed the Lenin Museum at the end of Kiev's main avenue as the House of Ukraine, and hid the Bolshevik leader under a 20ft-plywood box covered with pink cloth.

KIEV - A sure sign that history is no longer stuck on fast-forward is Brezhnev jokes. I encountered the revival in a village off the road from the Ukrainian capital of Kiev to the city of Kharkiv. The name is Teplivka. The 1,100 Ukrainian peasants who live there call home the Lenin Collective Farm.

President Leonid Kravchuk beat his former prime minister in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election, according to unofficial returns but could face an uphill struggle to win a run-off next month, Reuter reports from Kiev. Mr Kravchuk won 38 per cent of the vote ahead of Leonid Kuchma, who took 32 per cent.

(First Edition)

UKRAINE'S acting prime minister, Yefim Zvyagilsky, began emergency talks with the Russian Prime Minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin, about the future of Crimea yesterday. Tension rose sharply at the weekend over the fate of the peninsula, which now belongs to Ukraine despite its centuries-old links to Russia. Diplomats warned of another Bosnia if the politicians fail to find an acceptable solution.