KIEV, April 12 – Austria's public prosecution office investigating alleged unlawful money laundering by the founder of Ukrainian Media Holding Borys Lozhkin and businessman Serhiy Kurchenko has failed to prove the unlawfulness of these transactions, Deutsche Welle has reported, referring to the public prosecution office.

KIEV, April 12 - Squabbling over top jobs in Ukraine's government delayed a parliament vote on a Cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday that is likely to see the departure of Finance Minister Natalia Jaresko and tighten President Petro Poroshenko's grip on key policy areas, Reuters reported.

LVIV, April 12 - Ukraine, which in less than two months will co-host the 2012 European football championships, also wants to hold the Winter Olympic Games in 2022, President Viktor Yanukovych announced on Thursday.

Yanukovych told reporters that feasibility studies are being conducted in the west of the country by an Austrian company "with great experience of Winter Olympics projects,” AFP reported.

KIEV, April 12 – Parliament, led by President Viktor Yanukovych’s majority, approved new Criminal Code legislation easing punishment for many economic crimes, but not addressing an issue of releasing jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko.

KIEV, April 12 - A Ukrainian court on Thursday sentenced a top ally of jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko to five years in prison for abuse of office, the AP reported.

The Pechersk district court in Kiev found former acting Defense Minister Valery Ivashchenko guilty of abusing his office during the sell-off of a state shipbuilding plant in 2009.

KIEV, April 12 – Parliament late Thursday voted to approve amendments to the 2012 budget that steeply increase spending - and revenue collection targets - ahead of general elections in October.

LVIV, April 12 – UEFA President Michel Platini has again expressed concern over the high prices set by Ukrainian hotels for accommodation during the Euro 2012 European Football Championship.

KIEV, April 12 – Kiev’s Pechersky District Court has sentenced former acting Defense Minister Valeriy Ivaschenko to five years in prison and barred him from fulfillment of organizational and administrative activities in state agencies for three years.

KIEV, April 12 - Ukraine took additional security measures on Tuesday after an explosion hit a metro station in Minsk, the capital of neighboring Belarus.

The blast took place as Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in Kiev, tried to persuade Ukraine to join a Moscow-led trade alliance that also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan.

KIEV, April 12 - Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday failed to make progress in talks over natural gas prices and gas transit, and plan to continue the negotiations through June 7, officials said.