11 police officers injured in clashes with protesters near Ukraine's parliament

KIEV, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 police officers were injured in clashes with protesters near the Ukrainian parliament here Tuesday, authorities said.

The clashes occurred when a group of activists brought tires to the square outside the parliament building and attempted to set them on fire, the press service of the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The police tried to prevent the demonstrators from starting the fire, but the protesters pelted the officers with stones and Molotov cocktails, the statement said.

Nine demonstrators were detained following the clashes, it said.

Earlier in the day, several separate groups of protesters rallied outside the parliament, demanding the lawmakers adopt a law on creating an anti-corruption court, appoint a new chief of the central bank and raise pensions for retired military personnel. Enditem