KIEV, July 18 – Viacheslav Ovcharenko, a close and long-time ally of President Viktor Yanukovych, was elected on Thursday to head the Constitutional Court, Ukrayinska Pravda reported, citing a source.

KIEV, July 18 – Riot police late Thursday moved to disperse a rally in downtown Kiev after protesters tried to erect a tent camp in preparation for a long-term action against police brutality.

KIEV, July 16 - The National Bank of Ukraine is expecting the current account deficit to fall in 2013 by 1.5-2% of GDP, said Serhiy Nikolaichuk, the deputy director of the general economic department at the NBU.

KIEV, July 18 – Ukraine will intensify its participation in international peacekeeping and anti-piracy operations, National Security and Defense Council Secretary Andriy Kliuyev said.

KIEV, July 18 – Two Ukrainian independent media outlets, a newspaper and a television channel, have come under increasing pressure from the authorities just months ahead of elections, raising concerns the government is targeting freedom of speech.

KIEV, July 18 — Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s key lawyer on Monday was expelled from the court for the rest of the trial after engaging in a brief dispute with the judge.

Serhiy Vlasenko was ejected from the court by Judge Rodion Kireyev after the lawyer had accused the judge of violating court procedure, and had refused to sit down.

KIEV, July 16 - The driver of the ambulance from the presidential motorcade - Mykola Demydenko, an employee of the motor depot of the State Affairs Department - faces from three to eight years of imprisonment in connection with an April 21 accident which killed a taxi driver and injured two passengers.

KIEV, July 16 – President Viktor Yanukovych said his domestic and foreign policies, including improving relations with Russia, will help Ukraine to spur economic growth and to achieve “social progress.”

KIEV, July 16 - Ukraine plans to focus on the prevention and settlement of conflicts, the continued disarmament process and confidence building, ruling out zones with different levels of security, if it receives the right to chair the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2013, Foreign Minister Konstantin Hryschenko said at an informal meeting of OSCE foreign ministers in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

KIEV, July 17 - The Cabinet of Ministers is working on a set of measures to step up the promotion of Ukrainian exports, including through using diplomatic and political levers of influence, Economy Minister Anatoliy Kinakh said at a press conference on Tuesday.