The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Ukraine peace deal signed Unsmiling President Yanukovich signs pact with opponents to end violent standoff Kiev, February 21 Ukraine Opposition leaders signed an EU-mediated peace deal with President Viktor Yanukovich on Friday, aiming to end a violent standoff that has left dozens dead and opening the way for a early presidential election this year. Russian-backed Yanukovich, under pressure to quit from the mass demonstrations in Kiev, earlier offered a series of concessions to his pro-European opponents, including a national unity government and constitutional change to reduce his powers, as well as the presidential vote. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the deal provided for the creation of a national unity government and an early presidential election this year, although no date had been set. The vote had been due in March 2015. A Reuters correspondent at the signing in the presidential headquarters said Yanukovich did not smile during a ceremony lasting several minutes. One of the European Union mediators, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, described the agreement as a "good compromise for Ukraine". In a post on Twitter, he said it "gives peace a chance. Opens the way for reform and to Europe". With Ukraine caught in a geopolitical tug-of-war between Russia and the EU, at least 77 persons have been killed this week in the worst violence since the independent country emerged from the wreckage of the Soviet Union in 1991. "There are no steps that we should not take to restore peace in Ukraine," Yanukovich said when announcing his concessions before the deal was signed. "I announce that I am initiating early elections." Yanukovich said Ukraine would revert to a previous constitution under which parliament had greater control over the make-up of the government, including the prime minister. "I am also starting the process of a return to the 2004 constitution with a rebalancing of powers towards a parliamentary republic," he said. "I call for the start of procedures for forming a government of national unity." Earlier, a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said a council of protesters occupying Kiev's Independence Square, which is also known as the Maidan, had backed the agreement. The civic council "has voted in favour of the three Opposition leaders signing the agreement with President Yanukovich concerning resolving the conflict", the ministry's spokesman, Marcin Wojciechowski, said on Twitter. The German and Polish foreign ministers were in Kiev to promote the political compromise to end the bloodshed amid a stand-off between riot police and anti-government protesters who have occupied the central square for nearly three months. — Reuters Divided country Protests erupted in November when President Viktor Yanukovych abruptly refused to sign a long-anticipated political association and free trade agreement with the EU, opting instead for closer ties with Russia The pro-Western demonstrators saw Yanukovych's move as a betrayal of national interests and submission to Moscow, and demanded that that he reverse his decision Their number swelled to hundreds of thousands after a brutal riot police crackdown and their demands have quickly become more radical to include Yanykovych's resignation and early elections Global power plays Both Russia and the West have made vigorous efforts to draw Ukraine into its orbit, and that tug-of-war continues in the crisis. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees close economic and political ties with Ukraine as essential for the success of his project to build an alliance of ex-Soviet neighbours. The EU and the United States have urged Yanukovych to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict. But numerous visits to Kiev by Western diplomats have achieved little Washington and the EU warned Yanukovych they would introduce sanctions against those responsible for the violence Peace pact The peace pact met the demands the Opposition had laid down at the start of the protests: the balance of political power would shift back to Parliament, as it had been before Yanukovych assumed the presidency in 2010 It would also create an Opposition cabinet with the authority to reverse Yanukovych's decision in November to ditch an historic deal that would have put Ukraine on the path to eventual membership of the EU Many Ukrainians see as the European Union as the protector from centuries of Russian domination
	Venezuela deploys paratroopers after protests Caracas, February 21 The Venezuelan Government ordered paratroopers to a border city where growing student protests began over two weeks ago, with President Nicolas Maduro angrily rejecting US calls for dialogue. The nationwide demonstrations, led by students and the Opposition, have left at least four persons dead and dozens hurt in the biggest challenge to Maduro since he took power from the late Hugo Chavez last year. There have been near-daily protests and rallies, some of them violent, in the capital Caracas and other cities, over what Maduro's critics say are deteriorating economic conditions, rampant street crime, corruption and bleak job prospects. Maduro's leftist government, which is sitting on the world's largest proven oil reserves, rushed a battalion of paratroopers to the city of San Cristobal yesterday, birthplace of the demonstrations that began on February 4. — AFP
	Brooks spent $250,000 on Hugh Grant scoop London, February 21 Former News International chief executive Rebekah Brooks has revealed the lengths to which the defunct 'News Of The World' tabloid would go for a scoop, including spending $250,000 for an interview with a prostitute in whose company actor Hugh Grant was arrested. The former editor revealed in court how the paper spent huge sums of money flying Divine Brown and her family to the Nevada desert after securing an exclusive interview in 1995 about the former Hollywood sex worker's liaison with Grant. Giving evidence in her phone hacking trial before a jury at Old Bailey court in London, Brooks said: "There was a huge cost once we had found Divine Brown, there was an expectation that the Mail and the Sun wouldn't be far behind, so we asked if she would move from her home to a different location... "I think the total was about 200,000 or 250,000 (dollars)...it was probably one of the biggest expenses I've ever done. It was a lot of money." The former executive of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire denied knowing about the News Of The World's 92,000-pound annual contract with phone hacker Glenn Mulcaire. She told the court she should have been informed of such a contract because of the size of the payment. Mulcaire has admitted phone hacking while Brooks was the newspaper's editor during 2000-03. Brooks and six others all deny various charges related to phone hacking. — AFP
	Musharraf not to be tried in military court Islamabad, February 21 Pervez M4usharraf's efforts to stymie his trial on treason charges suffered a setback today when a Pakistani special court dismissed the former military ruler's petition to transfer his case to a military court and summoned him to appear on March 11. Musharraf's lawyers had objected to the formation of the three-judge special court, saying the 70-year-old former army chief could only be tried by a military court under the Army Act. The special court asserted it has the mandate to try Musharraf and set the next hearing for March 4. It also summoned Musharraf to appear before it on March 11. "This application is dismissed," said Justice Faisal Arab, the head of the three-judge bench. The bench ruled Musharraf was no longer in the army and can be tried by the special court. Musharraf had filed three applications that challenged the appointment of the government prosecutor as well as the establishment and jurisdiction of the special court. He is the first military ruler to be charged with high treason charges . Ahmed Raza Kasuri, a key member of Musharraf's legal team, claimed the court's order was factually wrong because he was the army chief when he signed the proclamation declaring emergency. — PTI
	Obama meets Dalai Lama, defies China’s warning Washington/Beijing, February 21 US President Barack Obama today met Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama for the third time at the White House, brushing aside China's warning that unjustified interference in its domestic affairs will cause "great damage" to bilateral ties. The meeting took place in the Map Room of the White House, Obama's residence, and not in his Oval Office, where the President usually holds talks with visiting dignitaries. The meeting was closed to the press and the Dalai Lama left the White House without interacting with journalists. The White House said Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama was in his capacity as an international religious and cultural leader and in the tradition of previous meetings with him. The White House' announcement of their meeting yesterday drew a sharp reaction from China, which has long opposed foreign dignitaries meeting the 78-year-old Dalai Lama who fled to India in 1959. "The US supports the Dalai Lama's 'Middle Way' approach of neither assimilation nor independence for Tibetans in China," said Caitlyn Hayden, spokesperson of the US National Security Council. The US recognises Tibet to be a part of China, Hayden said. "We do not support Tibetan independence," she said, stressing that the US strongly supports human rights and religious freedom in China. Hours before the meeting, China demanded its immediate cancellation, warning that the unjustified interference in its domestic affairs will cause "great damage" to bilateral ties. — PTI
	US bans bidis made by Indian firm Washington, February 21 US regulators today banned the sale and import of bidis made by Indian company, Jash International, their first such action since being given oversight of tobacco products in 2009. Bidis are small, hand-rolled cigarettes that contain tobacco wrapped in leaves from a tendu tree, and may come in various flavors. The ban came about because the products were found to be substantially different from existing tobacco products on the market as of 2007, and did not meet new regulatory requirements, the FDA said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that bidis contain higher levels of nicotine. — AFP

BRIEFLY

Malaysian-Indian leader found guilty of sedition
Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian-Indian opposition leader was today found guilty of sedition by a court for questioning the decision of the sultan of an eastern state five years ago. Lawyer and opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP) chairman Karpal Singh had allegedly questioned the removal of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as Perak state chief minister by the Sultan of Perak. PTI

Indian-origin conman jailed for murder in UK
London: An Indian-origin conman has been jailed for 27 years in the UK for the "cold-blooded murder" of his school friend to cash in a life insurance policy. Jagdev Singh Rai plotted what he believed would be the "perfect murder" of Jasbir Singh Bains, whose body was found floating in Dartmouth Park lake in West Bromwich on November 28, 2012, with his throat having been cut. PTI

11 die in attack on Somali President’s compound
MOGADISHU: At least 11 persons were killed when Islamist militants attacked the Somali presidential compound on Friday, blasting through a gate with a car bomb and fighting a gunbattle with guards. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was unharmed in the assault on the heavily-fortified compound known as Villa Somalia. Reuters

Shoplifter snaps up $130,000 alligator coat
Hong Kong: A brazen shoplifter has helped himself to an alligator-leather coat worth nearly $130,000 from a flagship Burberry store in one of Hong Kong's busiest shopping districts. The pricey trench coat was displayed on a mannequin, and staff at the British brand's shop in Tsim Sha Tsui discovered it was missing after they closed for business on Wednesday. AFP

Indian store owner wins $1m for selling jackpot
Los Angeles: An Indian-origin man in California got $1 million for selling the winning ticket for the $425 million Powerball jackpot, one of the largest lottery jackpots in American history. Kulwinder Singh, who co-owns a convenience store got the prize after the California Lottery announced on Wednesday that the winning ticket was sold from his shop. PTI

7 Indian-Americans get Sloan Research Fellowship
Houston: Seven Indian-Americans have been selected for a prestigious fellowship programme by the Alfred P Sloan Foundation for their contributions to science-related fields. The researchers are among the 126 fellows who would receive $50,000 award from the foundation to further their research. PTI

Indian-American kills father with sledgehammer
Houston: An Indian-origin man, Vinayak Shanbhag, 33, in the US has been arrested for allegedly murdering his 66-year-old father, Panduran Shanbhag, with a sledgehammer over a comment made while playing puzzles. He pummeled his father repeatedly on the head with a 10-pound sledgehammer while he was sleeping. PTI

Indians jailed for forging documents to get jobs
Singapore: Singapore has jailed 25 foreigners, including seven Indians, for submitting forged academic certificates to obtain employment in the city-state. The Manpower Ministry of Singapore today said all the offenders, 21 men and four women, had pleaded guilty in court. PTI

Indian-origin child falls to death from window
London: A 22-month-old baby girl died after falling from an upstairs window of a home in northern England and the police have arrested her mother on suspicion of murder. PTI