A court in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, has ordered a criminal investigation into the occupation of the parliament building by left-wing deputies earlier this month.

The deputies -- including the former speaker, Oleksandr Tkachenko -- are suspected of having violated laws on parliamentary procedure through their action.

The occupation was prompted by the centre-right majority's decision to elect a speaker on its own, after Mr Tkachenko prevented a vote calling for his dismissal.

The two factions have since held a joint session.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service