Kiev

Ukraine has moved toward decentralization after the country's Parliament approved Wednesday reforms giving more autonomy to local administration.

The changes include withdrawing competences of Ukraine's president to appoint and dismiss heads of local administrations, website Lenta.ru has reported.

Cyprus is making a comeback from near bankruptcy although its banks are still struggling with bad loans and political support may be waning for tough measures, an International Monetary Fund report said on Tuesday.

The Russian energy company, Gazprom has raised the price it charges Ukraine for gas by 43.6%.

The company's chief executive Alexei Miller said the change was because Kiev has failed to pay its bills.

He said its current debt to Russia stood at just over USD1.7 B.

Three people, including deputy head of the Kiev city state administration Bogdan Dubas, were wounded in a shooting incident in the Ukrainian capital downtown, Monday.

The shooter has been identified as an activist of the Right Sector far-right group, Ukrainian parliament-appointed Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Monday, cited by Itar-Tass.

Montenegro's parliamentary speaker Ranko Krivokapic will visit Moscow and Kiev this week as part of the OSCE's efforts to help mediate in the Ukrainian crisis.

No decision on Ukraine's future could be taken without Kiev's involvement, US State Secretary John Kerry told Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Lavrov has however ruled out Russia's recognition of the leadership in Kiev, which he once again described as "fascists", despite describing describing the conversation as "very constructive".

Concerns for Crimean Tatars increase

After boycotting the referendum, Crimean Tatars became open targets for the local militia and Russia as well, experts warn.

Demonstrators hold a combination Ukrainian-Crimean-Tatar flag during a rally at Independence Square in Kiev on March 23rd. [AFP]

Former Ukrainian heavyweight boxer and current politician Vitali Klitschko will run for mayor of Kiev instead of president.

At the end of February, Klitschko announced that he would compete for the country's top post at the May 25 elections, however he has now changed his plans, according to Interfax agency.

Ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has called for referendums to be held across the country.

Yanukovych has said that "every region" should determine its status within Ukraine, as Russia's ITAR-TASS agency quoted him as saying.

Olexandr Kirichenko, the chargé d'affaires of the Ukraine embassy in Serbia, told TV Nova that Ukraine is disappointed that Serbia had not taken a clear stance on the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula.