10,000 in Ukraine’s capital protest president’s decision to ditch EU pact
10,000 in Ukraine’s capital protest president’s decision to ditch EU pact
KIEV, Ukraine — Around 10,000 protesters crowded into the center of Ukraine’s capital Friday night to demand the president’s resignation after he shelved a landmark agreement with the European Union in favor of closer ties with Russia.
An estimated 2,000 police in helmets and riot gear surrounded the demonstrators on Independence Square. There were several small scuffles with police, but no major clashes into the evening.
Protests have been held in Kiev for the past week since President Viktor Yanukovych backed away from the agreement. Across town on Friday, another rally brought out thousands of people in support of the decision.
It was unclear how long the protests against Yanukovych would be allowed to continue. The square has symbolic weight as the iconic epicenter of the 2004 mass protests known as the Orange Revolution, which forced the rerun of a fraud-tainted presidential election. Yanukovych, the focus of those protests, is unlikely to risk allowing another such huge demonstration of discontent.
Thai protesters swarm into army HQ compound in bid to topple prime minister
BANGKOK — Protesters forced their way onto the grounds of Thailand’s army headquarters on Friday, asking the military to support their increasingly aggressive campaign to topple Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The army insisted it will not take sides in the dispute.
In a letter addressed to the army chief, the protesters stopped short of calling for a coup but urged military leaders to “take a stand” in Thailand’s political crisis and state which side they are on. The crowd of 1,200 people stayed on the sprawling lawn of the Royal Thai Army compound for two hours before filing out peacefully.
Army commander Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha responded with a call for the protests to be democratic and law-abiding.
“Don’t try to make the army take sides because the army considers that all of us are fellow Thais, so the government, state authorities and people from every sector must jointly seek a peaceful solution as soon as possible,” Prayuth said in a statement.
Yingluck has proposed talks but the protesters have rejected them.
China says it sent warplanes to identify flights by US and Japan in new air defense zone
BEIJING — China said it launched two fighter planes Friday to investigate flights by a dozen U.S. and Japanese reconnaissance and military planes in its new maritime air defense zone over the East China Sea.
It was the first time since proclaiming the zone on Nov. 23 that China said it sent planes there on the same day as foreign military flights, although it said it merely identified the foreign planes and took no further action.
China announced last week that all aircraft entering the zone — a maritime area between China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan — must notify Chinese authorities beforehand and that it would take unspecified defensive measures against those that don’t comply. Neighboring countries and the U.S. have said they will not honor the new zone — believed aimed at claiming disputed territory — and have said it unnecessarily raises tensions.
The Ministry of Defense said the Chinese fighter jets identified and monitored the two U.S. reconnaissance aircraft and a mix of 10 Japanese early warning, reconnaissance and fighter planes during their flights through the zone early Friday.
“China’s air force has faithfully carried out its mission and tasks, with China’s navy, since it was tasked with patrolling the East China Sea air defense identification zone. It monitored throughout the entire flights, made timely identification and ascertained the types,” ministry spokesman Col. Shen Jinke said in a statement on its website.
By wire sources