The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Putin, Hollande to discuss Ukraine crisis on June 5 Moscow, May 28 Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss the crisis in Ukraine with French President Francois Hollande in Paris on June 5, his first meeting with a major Western leader since Moscow annexed Crimea. A Kremlin foreign policy aide said on Wednesday the talks would be held in the French leader’s Elysee Palace on the eve of World War -II anniversary events taking place in the French city of Deauville. Putin, US President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are all expected to be in Deauville but the aide, Yuri Ushakov, made no mention of any other leaders attending the talks in Paris. He told a news briefing that Putin might have contact with other leaders while in Deauville, but that any other meetings would be informal. Ushakov said the talks with Hollande would cover "fundamental international and bilateral issues, including the Ukraine crisis." He gave no other details. Although Putin has frequently spoken to foreign heads of state and government by telephone since the start of the Ukraine crisis, his last known meeting with a Western leader was during the Winter Olympics in Sochi. His last foreign trip to meet Western leaders was a visit to Brussels for talks with European Union leaders in January. The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of the Crimea peninsula in March, but the push for new punitive measures by Europe has slowed since Ukraine's presidential election on Sunday. France has also said that Russia's actions in Ukraine could endanger a 1.2 billion euro ($1.63 billion) helicopter carrier deal signed in 2011 to boost Russia's military modernisation. — Reuters Partial Russian pullout from border Brussels: Russia has withdrawn thousands of troops from near the Ukraine border, but tens of thousands remain, a NATO military officer said on Wednesday. "Many (Russian) units have now withdrawn from the border. The activity we are observing continues to suggest a slow withdrawal of forces," an officer said. Lavrov warns of ‘fratricidal war’ Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused the West of pushing Ukraine into a "fratricidal war" and repeated Moscow's calls for an end to the interim Ukrainian government's military action against pro-Russian separatists. Lavrov's remarks were in line with frequent Russian statements placing blame on the US and EU for the turmoil in Ukraine, where government forces killed dozens of rebels in Donetsk " Meanwhile, uneasy calm returned to the streets of Donetsk on Wednesday after the biggest battle of a pro-Russian separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine, a conflict transformed by the landslide election of a pro-European leader who has vowed to crush the revolt.
	Obama fights foreign policy critics, pledges aid to Syria groups West Point (NY), May 28 US President Barack Obama fought back against critics of his foreign policy on Wednesday by insisting the US reliance on diplomacy over military intervention was working to resolve global crises like Ukraine and Iran, and he pledged to ramp up support for Syria's opposition. In the commencement address at the US Military Academy in West Point, Obama laid out his approach to foreign affairs for the rest of his presidency built on a commitment to act in concert with other nations, and shifted the fight against terrorism from Afghanistan to more diffuse threats around the world. Obama, stung by unrelenting criticism that he has been passive and indecisive as a world leader, spent a large section of his address countering Republicans in Congress and foreign policy elites in Washington who argue for a more aggressive approach to crises from Ukraine to Syria. He cast himself as striking a middle ground between war mongers and isolationists. "Tough talk often draws headlines, but war rarely conforms to slogans," he said. America must lead on the world stage but "US military action cannot be the only — or even primary — component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail," he said. The vision he set out reflected a president determined to avoid a repeat of what he considers a mistaken war in Iraq and to end the conflict in Afghanistan. — Reuters
	Plans to pull out troops from Afghanistan by 2016 Washington, May 28 The US will reduce its troops in Afghanistan to 9,800 by the year-end and withdraw them completely by 2016, President Barack Obama has said, outlining an end to America's longest war it launched after the 9/11 attack. "Now we're finishing the job we've started," Obama told reporters at the White House Rose Garden. "We have now been in Afghanistan longer than many Americans expected." He said the current 32,000-strong US deployment in Afghanistan would be reduced to around 9,800 by the start of 2015. The number would be further halved by the end of 2015 before eventually being scaled back to a normal embassy presence with a security assistance component by the end of 2016. However, any US troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014 is subject to signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) by the new Afghan president, he said yesterday. "At the beginning of 2015, we will have approximately 9,800 US service members in various parts of the country, together with our NATO allies and other partners," Obama said. "By the end of 2015, we will have reduced that presence by roughly half. One year later, our military will draw down to a normal embassy presence in Kabul, with a security assistance component, just as we've done in Iraq," he said. His announcement came a day after his unannounced trip to Afghanistan on the eve of Memorial Day, as he said "future of Afghanistan must be decided by Afghans themselves". — PTI Taliban condemn withdrawal plan Kabul: The Taliban on Wednesday condemned President Barack Obama’s announcement that US troops would stay in Afghanistan until the end of 2016. "Now that Obama has announced that he will keep around 10,000 troops until the end of 2016 and continue their occupation, Afghanistan Islamic Emirate condemns it and considers it a violation of sovereignty, religion and human rights," said a statement.
	‘Drone strikes on terrorists to continue’ New York, May 28 US President Barack Obama today made it clear that he will continue to authorise CIA-operated drone strikes and covert operations abroad to capture terrorists based on "actionable intelligence", moves that are controversial in countries such as Pakistan. In a speech outlining his foreign policy framework, Obama said there still would be times when America must go it alone “when necessary to protect ourselves.” “The partnership I’ve described does not eliminate the need to take direct action when necessary to protect ourselves. When we have actionable intelligence, that’s what we do - through capture operations, like the one that brought a terrorist involved in the plot to bomb our Embassies in 1998 to face justice,” he said. Addressing cadets at the graduation ceremony of the elite Military Academy, New York, Obama also announced a $5 billion fund to help countries deal with the rising challenge of terrorism. — PTI
	Split in Taliban over peace talks Islamabad, May 28 Pakistani Taliban today suffered a major setback after a powerful faction split from it citing the umbrella organisation's involvement in criminal activities and bombing of public places, complicating the already-fragile peace dialogue with the government. The 'Khan Sajna' group has parted ways from the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) led by Maulana Fazlullah due to its involvement in criminal activities and policy of bombing public places, Azam Tariq, former TTP spokesman and a member of its powerful shura (council), said. "We announce our defection from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, we have chosen our Khalid Mehsud as the new leader for South Waziristan," Tariq said. "The TTP leadership has fallen into the hands of a bunch of conspirators, the umbrella organisation is involved in criminal activities like robbery and extortion" he said. "Khalid Mehsud" known as "Khan Said Sajna" was a contender for the TTP's leadership after its former chief Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a US drone strike last year. The break-away faction belongs to the Mehsud tribe, considered to be one of the most important and powerful of the various groups that comprise the TTP. — PTI PTI chief warns of secession plot in North Waziristan Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has warned that the North Waziristan region was heading towards secession because of military operation and urged army chief General Raheel Sharif to immediately stop precision strikes. “I can smell a conspiracy to separate the North Waziristan Agency from Pakistan. Foreign elements are also involved in this," Imran said. — TNS
	Graft case: Pak ex-Prez Zardari acquitted Islamabad, May 28 Former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari was today acquitted in a corruption case related to the illegal construction of a polo ground at the Prime Minister House when his wife Benazir Bhutto was the premier. An accountability court in its verdict said the accused had not been proven guilty. Zardari's counsel Farook Naek told the court that not a single witness testified against the defendant. He said the records submitted by the prosecution were not genuine, as they were photocopies and had no legal significance. The Bench has reserved the judgment on May 20 after the hearing of about 17-year old case was completed. The court has already acquitted other accused, including ex-principal secretary to Bhutto, Saeed Mehdi, in the same case, while the case against Shafi Sehwani, ex-chief of the Capital Development Authority, was withdrawn following his death. — PTI
	US jury frees Indian who stabbed sister New York, May 28 An Indian-origin man, accused of fatally stabbing his sister 107 times during an altercation, has been acquitted by a US federal jury on all charges of murder and illegally possessing a weapon. Vishnu Phagoo, 37, of Jersey City was arrested in February 2011 and charged with the September 2010 murder of his sister Shrimatie Parasram, 45, at her home. The jury acquitted Phagoo on charges of murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. — PTI
	Thai junta appoints anti-Thaksin advisers Bangkok, May 28 Thailand's junta has appointed two retired generals with palace connections as advisers, putting powerful establishment figures hostile towards former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra firmly in the ascendant in the country's long-running power struggle. Hoping to show things are getting back to normal, the military also relaxed a night-time curfew brought in after it seized power in a May 22 coup, and is expected to speed up efforts to get the economy moving again after months of debilitating political protests. Data on Wednesday showed trade shrank in April and factory output fell for a 13th straight month, underscoring the damage political unrest has caused and the tough job the military government faces reviving an economy on the brink of recession. Facebook 'blocked' The Information Technology Ministry said it had blocked Facebook at the request of the military to stem protests. But the site was back up after about 30 minutes and the military denied involvement, saying a technical problem was to blame. The military has issued warnings about the spread of what it considers provocative material on social media. The junta's team of advisers includes a former defence minister, General Prawit Wongsuwan, and former army chief General Anupong Paochinda. The two men are towering figures in Thailand's military establishment and have close ties to coup leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha. All three are staunch monarchists and helped oust Thaksin, who remains at the heart of the political crisis, in a 2006 coup. — Reuters

US author, poet Maya Angelou dies

Winston-Salem (NC), May 28
American author and poet Maya Angelou, an eloquent commentator on race and gender best known for her autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," has died aged 86 in North Carolina.

The prolific African-American writer died at her home in Winston-Salem, Angelou's family said. "She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace. The family is extremely appreciative of the time we had with her and we know that she is looking down upon us with love," her family said.

President Barack Obama called her "a brilliant writer, a fierce friend and a truly phenomenal woman". — Reuters

BRIEFLY

21 killed in fire at South Korean hospital
sEoul: Twenty-one people suffocated and seven people were injured on Wednesday in a fire at a hospital in southern South Korea, officials said. One patient at the Hyosarang Hospital in Jangseong county, an 81-year-old man suffering from dementia, was detained in an investigation after security video footage showed him entering an area where the blaze began, the police said. The police said the cause of the fire was still being investigated. AP

A fireman sprays water on Syrian expatriates to keep them cool, as they arrive to cast their ballots in their country's presidential poll, in Beirut on Wednesday. AFP

China sentences 55 guilty in Xinjiang mass trial
Beijing: Court officials in China's restive northwestern region of Xinjiang have pronounced 55 people guilty of murder, separatism and terrorist offenses in a stadium before an audience of 7,000 people. The official Xinhua News Agency said the verdicts were delivered on Tuesday in Yili, a prefecture in northern Xinjiang. It said the audience was made up of local residents and officials. AP

Kerry dares Snowden to return to US
Washington: US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden a fugitive and challenged him to “man up and come back to the United States.” Kerry was asked about Snowden in the wake of an interview in which the whistleblower said he never intended to be holed up in Russia, but was forced to go there because Washington decided to “revoke my passport.” Ap

Egyptians vote in extended poll after low turnout
CAIRO: Egyptians failed to vote in a presidential election on Wednesday despite official efforts to boost turnout with an extra day of polling, raising doubts about the level of support for the man still forecast to win, former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. A low turnout would sound a warning to Sisi that he had failed to achieve the resounding mandate he sought after toppling president Islamist Mohamed Mursi, following street protests last year. Reuters

Indian doctor gets gold medal from Oz Medical Assn
Melbourne: A prominent Indian-origin doctor has been awarded the Australian Medical Association’s highest honour for his outstanding service to the medical profession and the community. The Australian Medical Association (AMA) honoured Mukesh Haikerwal, who is a former president of the association, with the AMA Gold Medal. PTI

MF Husain’s last paintings go on display in London
LOndon: A set of eight rarely-seen paintings by celebrated artist MF Husain went on public display for the first time at the famous Victoria and Albert Museum, London, on Wednesday. The 'Indian Civilisation Series' was commissioned by Usha Mittal, wife of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, in 2008 as a tribute to the richness of India's history. The ambitious set of triptych paintings went on to form part of Husain's final work before he passed away at a London hospital in June, 2011. PTI

NASA rocket to study birthplace of stars
Washington: NASA has launched a rocket to study the birthplace of stars more comprehensively and in detail than has been done by a single instrument ever before. It launched the Colorado High-resolution Echelle Stellar Spectrograph payload aboard a Black Brant IX suborbital sounding rocket on May 24. PTI