[JURIST] Ukraine's parliament [official website, in Ukrainian] Friday approved a series of bills paving the way for early parliamentary elections on September 30. The bills, reflecting an earlier political compromise [JURIST report] between rivals President Viktor Yushchenko [official website; JURIST news archive] and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych [BBC profile] that adverted a violent confrontation between their fractions, had previously twice failed to gain parliamentary approval [JURIST report].

Also on Friday, Yushchenko reinstated former Prosecutor General Olesandr Medvedko, who served as Prosecutor General from 2005 until April 2007 when Yushchenko replaced him with Svyatoslav Piskun. Yushchenko fired Piskun last Thursday, which prompted Interior Minister Vasyl Tsushko to dispatch police to prevent his removal [JURIST report]. AP has more. RIA Novosti has additional coverage.