- Pirates aboard the hijacked Ukrainian weapons carrying ship moored off the coast of Somalia have withdrawn their threat to blow up the ship if ransom is not paid.
- Ukrainian authorities pumped more money into the shaken banking sector as they prepared for talks with the International Monetary Fund about getting help with the country’s financial troubles. Yulia Tymoshenko said Thursday the IMF is ready to lend up to $14 billion only if the President abandons plans for early parliamentary elections. Will it really help though or just devalue the currency for regular Ukrainians?
- Meanwhile Tymoshenko said she would accept any conditions set by the President and is team to salvage the ruling coalition and avoid early parliamentary elections, and she also refused to provide funds for it.
- More sad EuroCup 2012 news as an Austrian company has pulled out of a project to build a new stadium, which has come at the worst possible time.
- Ukrainian cinema is on the rise, after having its first pavillion ever at the Cannes film Festival“Illusion of Fear” by Alexander Kiriyenko will be Ukraine’s entry for the best foreign-language film Oscar race. A special kind of press conference took place Tuesday as the first Ukrainian soiree at MIPCOM was unveiled.
- The 38th annual International Film Festival Molodist kicks off Saturday in Kyiv, while International Film Festival Pokrov 2008 wrapped up in the same city.
- Chernivtsi, the capital of Bukovnya celebrated its 600th anniversary. Many of the Ukrainian diaspora come from this region, as well as Halychnya.