Over 2,000 people gathered in Kiev on Saturday to protest against the regime of President Viktor Yanukovych and express support for jailed ex-premier Yulia Tymoshenko, who has been moved to a hospital.

The protestors called their rally an "opposition congress" that gathered several opposition parties on a central square in the capital in support of Tymoshenko, who is serving a seven-year jail term after a disputed verdict.

A two-headed Central Asian tortoise has gone on show at the natural science museum in Kiev where visitors will be able to observe the different eating habits of each head over the next two months.

"Strictly speaking it isn't a tortoise with two heads, but rather two conjoined tortoises," Yuri Yuravliov, a zoologist, told Agence France Presse.

Thousands of supporters of detained Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko Wednesday defied a court ban to stage a tense protest on Independence Day in central Kiev, an Agence France Presse correspondent said.

The protestors engaged in brief clashes with security forces who blocked their intended march route to the offices of President Viktor Yanukovych. After a tense standoff, with protestors shouting "Revolution!" and "Shame!" the crowds started to disperse.

A blast at one coal mine in eastern Ukraine and an elevator collapse at another killed at least 17 people and injured 11 on Friday, officials said. Nine miners are still missing following the blast.

The twin accidents in eastern mining regions shocked the country and highlighted the persistent dangers of the local mining industry, believed to be one of the world's most dangerous because of outdated equipment and widespread disregard for safety regulations.