Ukrainian ex-PM Tymoshenko cleared of all gas case chargesJune 25, 2014 - 13:20 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Ukrainian Supreme Court has cleared party leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko of all charges of signing a gas contract between Ukraine’s Naftogaz and Russia’s Gazprom, the Batkivshina party website announced Tuesday, June 24, according to RIA Novosti. “Tymoshenko’s directive for Ukraine’s Naftogaz delegation to sign the purchase-sale contract on natural gas for [the period of] 2009-2019 cannot be considered as abuse of power. From these norms of the law the Supreme Court has come to the conclusion that in this particular criminal case there is no existence of a crime,” the party said. In 2011, Tymoshenko was sentenced to seven years in jail for abuse of office for personal benefit while signing gas contracts with Russia in 2009. According to the prosecution, the conditions of the agreements caused large-scale material damage to Ukraine’s state-owned Naftogaz amounting to roughly $191 million. The opposition called the sentence politically motivated. In February 2014, the former prime minister was released under a parliamentary decree after the charge she was accused of was decriminalized. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |