Monday, November 23, 2009 LVOV: Ukraine celebrated on Sunday the fifth anniversary of “the orange revolution”, marking Freedom Day. It was instituted by a decree of President Viktor Yushchenko in November 2005 “in order to establish the ideals of democracy and to bring up the feeling of national dignity”. November 22, 2004 is regarded as the start of “the orange revolution” (the colour of opposition’s flags) in Ukraine, the campaign of protests, rallies, strikes and other actions of civil disobedience mostly of residents in the country’s western regions who supported Yushchenko. They were organised and conducted in Kiev’s central square – Maidan. Yushchenko was the key candidate from the opposition in the presidential elections in November-December 2004. Protests began when the Central Election Commission announced results of the run-off, according to which Viktor Yanukovich was the winner.The Supreme Court ruled to hold the second voting under the pressure of the opposition, as a result of which Yushchenko became president. Festivities with the participation of the president will be held at the Ukrainian House on Sunday. Yushchenko will deliver a speech and award state decorations. It is not reported where and how Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, former comrade-in-arms in “the orange revolution” and the present key rival of the president, intends to mark Freedom Day.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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