Luhansk, April 10
Ukraine will not prosecute pro-Russian separatists who seized government buildings if they surrender their weapons and disperse, the country's president said on Thursday, in a bid to ease a crisis that stoked fears of the country's break-up. But the armed men, who strengthened barricades around the buildings with barbed wire and sandbags overnight, said they would not leave unless the government also agreed to hold a referendum to boost the regions' independence.

Tensions have risen in the mainly Russian-speaking east since the overthrow of Ukraine's Moscow-backed President and the installation of a new pro-European government, which says the occupations are part of a Russian-led plan to dismember the country.

The interior minister on Wednesday said he expected the situation to be brought under control within 48 hours, with force if necessary. But Acting President Oleksandr Turchynov struck a softer tone on Thursday, saying he hoped to avoid bloodshed.

"We need to resolve this situation with the minimum number of victims," Turchynov told parliament. Under his proposal, protesters holding buildings in Luhansk and Donetsk would not be prosecuted if they left the building and surrendered their weapons. The seizure of government buildings in February gave separatists control of the Crimea region and led weeks later to its annexation by Russia.

An armed storming of the two buildings could provoke a strong response from Moscow, which has reserved the right to send troops in to protect Russian speakers. While some of the activists say they only want their regions to have more independence without leaving Ukraine, others have described the referendum as a step on the way to union with Russia.

Activists at both buildings said they would continue talks with the government, but said the current offer was not enough. "They offered amnesty, but there is no movement on a referendum for federalisation," said Alexander Gureyev, one of the activists barricaded into the five-storey former KGB headquarters in Luhansk.

"We are not going to accept an amnesty without a referendum." Around 250 protesters, some waving Russian flags, braved cold rain outside the building to show their support. Activists armed with automatic rifles, pistols and knives kept guard on the building, pushing bookshelves against the windows so no one could see inside. One protester put their arsenal at around 200-300 rifles.

A larger crowd of around 1,500 people surrounded the seized regional government building in Donetsk, where activists also rejected the president's offer. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russian agents and special forces on Tuesday of stirring up separatist unrest.

Russia denied the accusations on Wednesday and dismissed concerns over a troop build-up near the border with Ukraine in what has become the worst East-West crisis since the end of the Cold War in 1991. — Reuters

Putin warns Europe about Ukraine gas debt Vladimir Putin is telling European leaders that Ukraine's growing gas debts to Moscow can threaten supplies to Europe, according to his press secretary. Dmitry Peskov said Putin ‘expressed his utmost concern’ to European leaders about the growing gas debts of Ukraine, which Moscow says owes Russia over $16 billion. Peskov did not otherwise discuss Putin's message, but said it contained "urgent measures, as the situation requires no delay." The move is designed to exert economic pressure on Europe, which receive a large portion of its gas from Russia through Ukraine. Putin has tightened the economic screws on the cash-strapped Kiev government since it came to power in February, when its Russia-leaning President fled the country.

Perth, April 10
A new underwater acoustic signal possibly from the crashed Malaysian plane was detected today, raising hopes of an early breakthrough in the arduous hunt for the jet as searchers zeroed in on a smaller area in the Indian Ocean to find its "final resting place".

An Australian naval aircraft picked up an underwater signal in the same area where searchers in ships previously detected sounds consistent with a plane's black box. The development came on the 33rd day of the search for the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 that vanished mysteriously from radar screens on March 8 with 239 people on board.

While conducting an acoustic search this afternoon, an RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft detected a possible signal in the vicinity of the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, said Angus Houston, head of the Perth-based Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) which is leading the search.

"The acoustic data will require further analysis overnight but shows potential of being from a man-made source," he said.

Houston yesterday expressed optimism that search teams will "find the aircraft or what's left of the aircraft in the not too distant future". Finding the black box is crucial to know why the Beijing- bound Boeing 777-200 veered off from its route after taking off from Kuala Lumpur. — PTI

A British Sikh who has admitted ordering or possessing a total of 92 weapons at his Leicester home faces a prison sentence of up to five years when he is sentenced next month.

The Leicester police have told the Tribune that the length of time 21-year-old Parwinder Baning spends in prison will depend on whether the judge decides his sentence runs concurrently or consecutively.

An 18-year-old woman who has not been named was also interrogated by the police but later released without charge.

When Baning from Kitchener Road, Leicester, appeared at the Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday, he admitted possession of a bladed article, importation of three sets of knuckledusters, importation of an extendable baton, importation of a pepper spray, purchase of a stun gun, purchase of a concealable stun gun and purchase of a two concealable stun guns.

When the police raided his home last December , they discovered 37 knives, including martial arts knives and throwing knives, as well as a range of stun guns, including one capable of administering a 100,000 volt shock. Police also intercepted parcels from abroad showing Baning had paid for and received additional weapons, such as poush daggers and an extendable baton.

Altogether he was shown to have either ordered or possessed a total of 92 weapons. Orders were also being processed for the purchase of three additional concealable stun guns. Baning refused to tell police why he needed the weapons. Police are concerned that they may have failed to collect all the weapons he ordered.

The officer in charge of the inquiry, Detective Inspector Martin Smalley, said in a statement, "This was clearly a significant haul of weapons, and I can only speculate on why Baning was collecting it.

"In the wrong hands it could have resulted in significant injuries. I am also concerned a number of weapons Baning had ordered were not found during our searches. I would appeal to anyone who has information about where these weapons are to contact the Leicestershire police."