Ukraine's former Prime Minister allowed treatment outside jail

Ukraine on Monday allowed jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko to receive medical treatment outside prison amid widening European concerns for the former pro-Western prime minister's health. But officials said she could not travel to Germany as requested and would have to see medics inside the ex-Soviet country - a condition previously rejected by the flamboyant former Orange Revolution leader.
The general prosecutor's office said Tymoshenko could undergo observation and treatment in a "specialised medical facility" selected by the Ukrainian health ministry. The ministry in turn said it was "recommending" that she be sent to a special back pain centre in Kharkiv - the eastern Ukrainian city that also houses Tymoshenko's female penal colony. The bed-ridden Tymoshenko had earlier asked for treatment on her ailing back in a German clinic.