Ukraine's high court on Wednesday rejected an appeal by former interior minister Yuriy Lutsenko, a close ally of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko, against his four-year jail term for abuse of office and embezzlement. The High Specialised Court of Ukraine confirmed the sentence, meaning that Lutsenko, who has complained of health problems, will stay in prison until the end of December 2014, an AFP correspondent reported. Lutsenko was arrested while walking his dog in Kiev in December 2010 and has been held in jail ever since.

Over 5,000 opposition protesters, led by boxing champion Vitaly Klitschko, took to the streets of Kiev on Tuesday to demonstrate against President Viktor Yanukovych's rule and demand mayoral elections. The flag-waving demonstrators were led by the charismatic 6.5-foot (1.9-metre) tall pugilist and two other opposition leaders in what was the biggest protest action in Kiev so far this year. The opposition, which enjoys significant support in the capital, alleges that pro-Yanukovych authorities are reluctant to schedule a date for new mayoral elections for fear of losing them.

By Olzhas Auyezov KIEV (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of Ukraine's re-energised opposition movement rallied outside parliament on Tuesday to press for early elections for the mayor of Kiev in the biggest such action against President Viktor Yanukovich this year. A crowd led by the three main opposition leaders marched from the centre of the capital to parliament, holding aloft banners calling for the release of jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and denouncing Yanukovich's policies.

The eldest son of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has doubled his wealth in the past year, bucking Ukraine's economic problems and bolstering his position among its top two hundred richest men, according to a new rich list published this week. The Ukrainian weekly Focus said that Olexander Yanukovych -- who founded the construction and banking group Maco Holding -- saw his wealth double to $196 million in the past year.