Ukraine's Tymoshenko says she'll run again for president

Ukrainian former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, released from jail last month after her arch-foe Viktor Yanukovich fled from power, announced on Thursday she would run again for president in an election on May 25.

"I plan to run for election as president," she told reporters.

Tymoshenko, 53, a powerful speaker known in her heyday for a trademark peasant hair-braid, served twice as prime minister and ran for president in 2010, only to be narrowly beaten in a run-off vote by Yanukovich.

Yanukovich subsequently launched a campaign against Tymoshenko and her allies and she was jailed in 2011 for abuse of office linked to a gas deal she brokered with Russia in 2009.

She served two years of a seven-year term, mainly under prison guard in a hospital in Kharkiv, before being released when Yanukovich fled on February 20 and was subsequently ousted by parliament.

US Senate:

The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives easily passed bills on Thursday to provide aid to Ukraine, back a $1 billion loan guarantee for the Kiev government and impose sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea.
   
The Senate passed its legislation by voice vote. The House voted for its legislation by 399-19.
   
The two chambers will have to agree on how to handle minor differences between the two pieces of legislation before a final bill can be sent for President Barack Obama to sign into law.

Ukraine's parliament:

Ukraine's parliament on Thursday voted in favour of an anti-crisis law accepting austerity measures demanded by the International Monetary Fund as part of a $14-18 billion bailout package.
   
Earlier, parliament deputies failed to support the draft law despite the entreaties of the government, but later returned after a recess and approved it with a vote of 246 -  20 more than the number required.

Crimea:

The U.N. General Assembly on Thursday passed a non-binding resolution declaring invalid Crimea's Moscow-backed referendum earlier this month on seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia.
   
There were 100 votes in favor, 11 against and 58 abstentions in the 193-nation assembly. A number of countries did not participate in the vote. Western diplomats said the number of yes votes was higher than expected despite what they said was Moscow's aggressive lobbying efforts against the resolution.