Demonstrators call for new elections as fresh wave of protests take to Kiev

Ukraine's week long protests at President Viktor Yanukovych's refusal to sign a historical trade deal with the EU have taken a new spin as more than 100,000 are marching in new mass protests in the country's capital, Kiev.

Crowds defied a court order banning rallies in the city centre and moved towards Independence Square. Jailed opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has urged Ukrainians to attend and "not to leave the authorities' actions unanswered" while opposition party leaders called for thousands of Ukrainian demonstrators to descend to Kiev.

"We can and should remove these authorities. We should come out and show that we will not allow them to humiliate us, we will stand up for our rights," opposition party leader Vitali Klitschko told thousands of protestors outside Kiev's St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery.

The demonstrations started after President Yanukovych suspended preparations for signing a EU association agreement that would have opened borders to goods and set the stage for a relaxation of barriers to trade. 

Yanukovych said pressure from Moscow had led to his decision, arguing that Ukraine could not afford to sacrifice trade with Russia, which opposed the deal.

His stand prompted outcry from opposition and mass protests in Kiev and other major cities, with demonstrators calling for new elections and the impeachment of President Yanukovych. 

Rallies continued through the night, with hundreds of protesters remaining in Independence Square in the capital Kiev while early on Saturday riot police stormed Independence Square beating protesters with truncheons.

At least 31 people were taken into custody and a number of people were treated for injuries. The president called for those responsible to be brought to account, but did not explicitly blame police.

Analysts say that Sunday's protest may be bigger than last weekend's demonstration, which attracted 50,000-100,000 supporters.

Independence Square was the scene of the Orange Revolution in 2004, which saw Mr Yanukovych ousted and a Western-leaning government brought to power. Mr Yanukovych was elected president five years later, narrowly defeating then-Prime Minister Tymoshenko, a leading figure of the Orange Revolution.

In 2011 she was sentenced to seven years in jail for abuse of office - a case widely criticised in the West as political revenge. Tymoshenko has been on hunger strike since Monday over the failure to sign the EU agreement.