PIC: In Ukraine, protestors mace police

[MagickMuffin]

21. Here's an article from the Houston Chronicle......Ukraine: Clashes in capital over use of Russian

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Opposition activists clashed with riot police in the center of the Ukrainian capital Wednesday and the parliament speaker resigned after the legislature passed a bill that would upgrade the status of the Russian language.

The bill, which must be signed by the president to become law, would leave Ukrainian as the only state language but allow the use of Russian in Russian-speaking regions in courts, education and other government institutions.

Members of Ukraine's pro-Western opposition say such as law would effectively smother the Ukrainian language by removing any incentive for millions of Russian-speaking Ukrainians to learn and speak it. They also say it would bring Ukraine back into the Russian orbit and torpedo its efforts to forge closer ties with the European Union.

Lawmakers loyal to President Viktor Yanukovych, who draws his support from the Russian-speaking east and south, rushed the bill through Parliament on Tuesday night, without giving the opposition much chance to oppose it in a debate.

Snip: More at the link

http://www.chron.com/news/article/Ukraine-Clashes-in-capital-over-use-of-Russian-3683644.php#photo-3155026