Ukraine ushers in new era, president’s whereabouts unknown

KIEV: A new era opened in Ukraine Sunday after a day of dramatic twists and turns that saw parliament vote to oust a defiant president and call early elections, and opposition icon Yulia Tymoshenko walk free.

The whereabouts of Viktor Yanukovych remained a mystery, after authorities claimed they had prevented the embattled leader from escaping the country and said he may be hiding out in the east, which is broadly pro-Russian and where concerns remain over the potential for unrest.