Ukraine parliament offers special status for rebel east, Russia criticises

KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament voted on Tuesday to offer limited self-rule to pro-Russian rebels in the east to try to preserve Western support for peace efforts, despite some deputies saying it would give separatists more scope to tighten their grip on the region.

The law granting "special status" to "people's republics" proclaimed by the separatists was a follow-up to a peace agreement worked out in Belarus last month.