•The government declared a state of emergency in the national energy sector at an extraordinary government meeting Wednesday, Interfax Ukraine reported.

•The railroad blockade in rebel-controlled regions of the Donbas may lead to a halt of the Ukrainian-Moldovan metallurgical industry, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said, adding that the blockade is economic sabotage. He urged blockade activists to stop obstructing trains carrying commodities that are vital to the national economy.

•Canada's lower house of Parliament ratified the free-trade pact with Ukraine, Ukrinform reported. The measure now moves to the Senate and from there will go to the governor-general to be signed into law.

•S&P; rated the Ukrainian banking system with in assessment of highest risk in its Banking Industry Country Risk Assessment, Interfax Ukraine reported. "We expect the industry risk for banks in Ukraine to remain extremely high in global terms, in line with our score of '10'," S&P; said. S&P; expects Ukrainian banks to show very high credit losses and problem loans in 2017. Systemwide funding remains prone to deposit outflows and narrow and shallow debt capital markets.

•Kyiv International Airport (Zhuliany) more than doubled its January passenger flow from the same month the previous year, Ukrinform reported. Of the 108,200 passengers the airport served for the month, the vast majority were international travelers.

•Boryspil International Airport is thinking about reopening terminal F this year to accommodate flights by budget airlines, Ukrinform reported. A presumed announcement by prominent low-cost carrier Ryanair regarding entry into the Ukrainian market is factoring into the calculations for the terminal, which was closed in 2013 after just three years because of minimal usage.

•The number of pigs in Ukraine declined to a 12-year low of 6.3 million as of Feb. 1, according to the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, Unian reported. More than 120 cases of African swine fever just in the past 14 months have ravaged the industry, and quarantines are in place in 16 Ukrainian regions.

•Australia is showing interest in cooperating with Ukraine in the aviation industry and looking into potential partnerships with the country's aircraft producer Antonov, Novoe Vremya reported. This comes on the heels of a bilateral agreement between Ukraine and Australia earlier this month for joint development of nuclear energy projects.

•The Agriculture Ministry plans to help boost soybean production by expanding the acreage for soybean planting, according to Ukrinform. The country experienced a record soybean crop last year and is looking to expand into new markets, the ministry said.

•Local budgets received $556 million from leasing out state and municipal land in 2016; that's 1.5 times greater than their 2015 intake, according to the State Fiscal Service.

•Trade turnover between Ukraine and the Czech Republic increased almost 19 percent in the January-November period last year, Ukrinform reported.

For comments and news tips, please email UBJ AM editor David Edwards at david.edwards@theubj.com.