Protests in Kabul as Afghan election crisis deepens

KABUL: Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah marched through Kabul on Saturday as fears grow of unrest erupting over alleged fraud in the election one week ago.

Abdullah has boycotted the vote count, pitching Afghanistan into a political crisis as NATO combat troops withdraw from a 13-year war against Taliban insurgents.

The former foreign minister accused his poll rival Ashraf Ghani, outgoing President Hamid Karzai and election authorities of all committing fraud to deny him victory.

The protests began peacefully as hundreds of activists shouted slogans and carried banners that read "Fraudsters should be put on trial" and "We will defend our vote to the last drop of our blood".

"The election authorities are not impartial," Asar Hakimi, one protest organiser, told.

"All the achievements of the past 12 years are at stake. We will continue protesting if the government and the election commission continue their hostility."He said the "anti-fraud" rallies were not organised by Abdullah´s campaign, but the crowds appeared to be made up of Abdullah supporters.

Many Kabul roads were blocked off due to the demonstrations, and security forces were out.

An early morning suicide attack in the city targeted Masoom Stanekzai, a senior official at the government body responsible for exploring peace talks with the Taliban.

Police said Stanekzai escaped the blast uninjured, but that one civilian was killed and three wounded.

PML-N, JI agree to take country out of crisis

 

ISLAMABAD: On the directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Railways Minister Saad Rafique and Special Assistant to PM Irfan Siddiqui met Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Siraj-ul-Haq.
During the meeting – also attended by JI leaders Liaquat Baloch and Mian Muhammad Aslam – the two parties agreed to make joint efforts to take Pakistan out of the crisis and continue interaction in future as well.

The two sides discussed matters pertaining to the political and security situation, developments taking place in Karachi and the local government polls.Earlier, the government formed a special committee to contact political and religious parties for consultation on the current political situation of the country.

The committee comprises Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique and Irfan Siddiqui.The committee has contacted the Awami National Party (ANP). ANP leader Zahid Khan told a private TV channel that Khawaja Saad had contacted his party chief Asfandyar Wali Khan on the telephone and sought time for a meeting. However, the time and venue for the proposed meeting had not been decided as yet. Zahid said the committee wanted a discussion on the overall affairs of the country.Meanwhile, sources say the committee also contacted Haji Adeel of the ANP and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Khursheed Shah, who belongs to the PPP.

EU names 15 new Ukraine crisis targets for sanctions

BRUSSELS: The European Union has released the names of 15 new targets of sanctions because of their roles in the Ukraine crisis.

The list released Tuesday includes Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, and Lt. Gen. Igor Sergun, identified as head of GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak and pro-Russian separatist leaders in Crimea and the eastern Ukrainian cities of Lugansk and Donetsk were also on the list.

Asian shares mixed, eyes on Ukraine crisis

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed on Friday, with another upbeat lead from Wall Street overshadowed by concerns about the Ukraine crisis.

The euro maintained its momentum after a pick-up on Thursday fuelled by a healthy consumer confidence reading from Germany, while the dollar also edged higher against the yen.

Tokyo added 0.77 percent and Sydney was up 0.24 percent but Hong Kong dipped 0.55 percent, Seoul was 0.30 percent lower and Shanghai eased 0.10 percent.

US shares ended mostly higher on Thursday following another round of impressive corporate results as well as a second strong month of durable goods orders in March indicating the economy is rebounding from its winter slump.

The Nasdaq climbed 0.52 percent, boosted by a rally in Apple, which rose more than eight percent on better-than-expected earnings. The S&P 500 added 0.17 percent and the Dow was unchanged.

However, traders remain on edge over the situation in Eastern Europe. Russia on Thursday ordered new military exercises on the border of Ukraine and warned of "consequences" after Kiev launched a deadly assault against pro-Kremlin rebels occupying a flashpoint town.

Later US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of a "full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation" and described the military exercises as "threatening".

He also said Moscow had broken an agreement signed last week in Geneva aimed at easing tensions, adding that refusal to take any steps to end the crisis would "not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake".

The veteran diplomat added "we are ready to act" as Washington tees up new economic sanctions against Moscow.

On currency markets the euro edged up to $1.3833 and 141.65 yen from $1.3830 and 141.53 yen in New York, boosted by news that the Ifo economic institute´s closely watched German business climate index rose in April following a dip in March.

The dollar fetched 102.41 yen, against 102.32 yen in New York late Thursday.

Traders were largely unmoved by data showing Japanese inflation rose for a 10th straight month in March, with rising energy costs behind the increase.

Oil prices rose. New York´s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for June delivery, was up seven cents at $102.01 and Brent North Sea crude for June climbed 16 cents to $110.49.

Gold fetched $1,291.96 an ounce at 0240 GMT compared with $1,271.96 on Thursday. (AFP)

Asian shares mixed, eyes on Ukraine crisis

HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed on Friday, with another upbeat lead from Wall Street overshadowed by concerns about the Ukraine crisis.

The euro maintained its momentum after a pick-up on Thursday fuelled by a healthy consumer confidence reading from Germany, while the dollar also edged higher against the yen.

Tokyo added 0.77 percent and Sydney was up 0.24 percent but Hong Kong dipped 0.55 percent, Seoul was 0.30 percent lower and Shanghai eased 0.10 percent.

US shares ended mostly higher on Thursday following another round of impressive corporate results as well as a second strong month of durable goods orders in March indicating the economy is rebounding from its winter slump.

The Nasdaq climbed 0.52 percent, boosted by a rally in Apple, which rose more than eight percent on better-than-expected earnings. The S&P 500 added 0.17 percent and the Dow was unchanged.

However, traders remain on edge over the situation in Eastern Europe. Russia on Thursday ordered new military exercises on the border of Ukraine and warned of "consequences" after Kiev launched a deadly assault against pro-Kremlin rebels occupying a flashpoint town.

Later US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Russia of a "full-throated effort to actively sabotage the democratic process through gross external intimidation" and described the military exercises as "threatening".

He also said Moscow had broken an agreement signed last week in Geneva aimed at easing tensions, adding that refusal to take any steps to end the crisis would "not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake".

The veteran diplomat added "we are ready to act" as Washington tees up new economic sanctions against Moscow.

On currency markets the euro edged up to $1.3833 and 141.65 yen from $1.3830 and 141.53 yen in New York, boosted by news that the Ifo economic institute´s closely watched German business climate index rose in April following a dip in March.

The dollar fetched 102.41 yen, against 102.32 yen in New York late Thursday.

Traders were largely unmoved by data showing Japanese inflation rose for a 10th straight month in March, with rising energy costs behind the increase.

Oil prices rose. New York´s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for June delivery, was up seven cents at $102.01 and Brent North Sea crude for June climbed 16 cents to $110.49.

Gold fetched $1,291.96 an ounce at 0240 GMT compared with $1,271.96 on Thursday. (AFP)

Russia, West lock horns on Ukraine at UN crisis talks

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council met late Sunday in emergency session as violence escalated in eastern Ukraine, hours before a Monday morning deadline for pro-Russia protesters to lay down their arms or face Ukrainian troops.

Russia called the meeting shortly after Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire Sunday with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city, and at least one security officer was killed and five others wounded.

Ukraine´s president accused its powerful neighbor of fomenting unrest, and announced that his government would deploy armed forces Monday to quash an increasingly bold pro-Russian insurgency.

"At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink," Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told Security Council members.

Ethnic Russians in Ukraine´s east fear that the country´s new pro-Western government will oppress them, and are demanding to have referendums on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia.

Fernandez-Taranco said U.N. monitors in eastern Ukraine have described seeing pro-separatist protesters as being armed with machine guns and sniper rifles.

"The fact is that many of the armed units that we´ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said. "These armed units ... raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this.

"Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine´s eastern border, and there are fears that Moscow might use the violence in the mainly Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea weeks ago.

"This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created," said Ukraine´s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin denied Western and Ukrainian claims that Moscow was behind the violence, and told U.N. diplomats that Ukraine has been using radical neo-Nazi forces to destabilize its eastern region. "It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on," Churkin said.

"Enough. That is enough."He said after the meeting that he hoped Western powers would pressure Ukraine to rethink its deadline for sending in troops. "Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis," Churkin said.

Russia, West lock horns on Ukraine at UN crisis talks

UNITED NATIONS: The U.N. Security Council met late Sunday in emergency session as violence escalated in eastern Ukraine, hours before a Monday morning deadline for pro-Russia protesters to lay down their arms or face Ukrainian troops.

Russia called the meeting shortly after Ukrainian special forces exchanged gunfire Sunday with a pro-Russia militia in an eastern city, and at least one security officer was killed and five others wounded.

Ukraine´s president accused its powerful neighbor of fomenting unrest, and announced that his government would deploy armed forces Monday to quash an increasingly bold pro-Russian insurgency.

"At this moment, Ukraine teeters on the brink," Assistant U.N. Secretary-General Oscar Fernandez-Taranco told Security Council members.

Ethnic Russians in Ukraine´s east fear that the country´s new pro-Western government will oppress them, and are demanding to have referendums on autonomy and possible annexation by Russia.

Fernandez-Taranco said U.N. monitors in eastern Ukraine have described seeing pro-separatist protesters as being armed with machine guns and sniper rifles.

"The fact is that many of the armed units that we´ve seen were outfitted in bulletproof vests, camouflage uniforms with insignia removed," U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power said. "These armed units ... raised Russian and separatist flags over seized buildings and have called referendums and union with Russia. We know who is behind this.

"Russia has tens of thousands of troops massed along Ukraine´s eastern border, and there are fears that Moscow might use the violence in the mainly Russian-speaking region as a pretext for an invasion, in a repeat of events in Crimea weeks ago.

"This is not a war between Ukrainians, this was artificially created," said Ukraine´s U.N. Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev.

Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin denied Western and Ukrainian claims that Moscow was behind the violence, and told U.N. diplomats that Ukraine has been using radical neo-Nazi forces to destabilize its eastern region. "It is the West that will determine the opportunity to avoid civil war in Ukraine. Some people, including in this chamber, do not want to see the real reasons for what is happening in Ukraine and are constantly seeing the hand of Moscow in what is going on," Churkin said.

"Enough. That is enough."He said after the meeting that he hoped Western powers would pressure Ukraine to rethink its deadline for sending in troops. "Whether they are going to put an end to this provocation by Kiev, this is their responsibility to prevent further escalation of this crisis," Churkin said.

Energy crisis to vanish in a few years, says prime minister

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has assured the nation that a shortfall in the energy sector would be overcome by his government in a few years as the steps taken by the government for overcoming the energy crisis are yielding positive results, and 3G Spectrum Technology will usher in a new era for the country.

He said this on Thursday while talking to a three-member delegation belonging to the telecom industry, comprising Jo Lender, CEO Vimplecom, Augie K Fabela, co-founder and Chairman Emeritus, and Rashid Khan, CEO and President Mobilink.

The meeting took place at the PM House.

Prime Minister Nawaz said that growth in the country’s economy was evident from the economic indicators and the trust shown by the multilateral donors. “The introduction of 3-G technology will lead Pakistan into a new era of Information Technology (IT),” he noted.

He said that the economy was growing at a fast pace, the stock exchange had seen a rise while the rupee gained value against the dollar.

The prime minister said that Pakistan had embarked upon an aggressive privatisation policy. “The government should not only run businesses but also facilitate businesses and for this purpose, we have to raise the trust of investors,” he opined.

The delegation appreciated the government’s policy of privatisation and said that the policy would provide an impetus to the economy.

The members of the delegation were of the view that introduction of the 3-G Technology in Pakistan would provide necessary momentum to the growing economy.

PM Nawaz said that the 3-G licence would be open for all the national and international competitors and it would be awarded in a transparent manner.

“We expect that the international bidders will also compete for the 3-G licence,” the premier hoped. Nawaz Sharif said that IT sector was observing fusion of different sectors, including telecom and banking sectors, and the investors needed to take its advantage. “It will create job opportunities for the youth,” he said.

The prime minister said that the Pakistani youth were energetic and if provided opportunity and space, they could excel in the IT sector through their creativity and innovation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting on Pakistan Railways (PR) at the PM House. He was apprised of the functioning of PR, its history, present status and future direction.

He was told that the present PR administration was focusing on the core business of transportation of goods and people.

PM Nawaz commended the ministry’s focus on improving governance based on rules and regulation, merit-oriented human resource policy and transparency.

He directed that all railway stations should be modernised with better services for citizens. He was briefed that the target of Rs4.5 billion of additional revenue had been achieved this year and, with better management, there had been a reduction of Rs5 billion in railway losses.

It was decided to reconstitute the Railways’ Board with better representation from the private sector. The premier was told that work on the Karachi Circular Railway would be initiated soon.

The meeting was further informed that work had started on refurbishing and branding of railway stations and the PR expected to generate substantial revenue from this activity.

He was told that Request for Proposals regarding the feasibility study of Islamabad-Murree-Muzaffarabad Railway Link would be floated in the second week of April this year.

The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Chief Minister of Punjab Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and senior government officers.

Ukraine crisis stirs Kerry-Lavrov tensions

WASHINGTON: Russian-US tensions over Ukraine exploded into a public row Monday, as Secretary of State John Kerry refused to attend talks in Moscow after his counterpart snubbed Kiev's interim leaders.
Russia's wily foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, came out swinging first, putting the much-travelled Kerry on the spot by denouncing him for turning down an invitation to meet on Moscow on Monday.
Washington has led global efforts to defuse tensions since Russian troops deployed troops last week in Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula after a months-long tussle over Ukraine's future direction.
The pro-Russian region, home to Moscow's Black Sea Fleet, will hold a potentially explosive vote on Sunday on whether to split from Ukraine and join Russia threatening to tear the country apart.
Kerry handed over proposals on a diplomatic way forward to Lavrov when the two men met twice in Paris and Rome last week, and which were refined after they talked by phone on Saturday.
But, in a televised meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said Kerry's ideas "do not suit us very much" and that his US counterpart had changed his mind after initially agreeing to come to Moscow.
The Russian government, he said, will now make a series of counter-proposals "on the basis of international law and take into account the interests of all Ukrainians without exception."
Washington hit back, claiming Moscow was not serious in its efforts, as it had snubbed talks with Ukraine's interim leadership, brought in by parliament after the pro-Russia president Viktor Yanukovych fled the country last month.
Kerry is prepared to take part in talks "if and when we see concrete evidence that Russia is prepared to engage" with Washington's proposals, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.
The US wants to see an end to Russian military activities in southern Crimea and that Moscow allows independent observers from the OSCE into the area.
"We want to see a halt in the drive for annexation of Crimea," Psaki said, as the clock ticks down to Sunday's referendum.
The US proposals would also help set up talks between Russia and Ukraine, perhaps through some kind of contact group being put together by the US and its EU allies.
Psaki bluntly rejected any suggestion that Kerry was shirking his responsibility to meet with Lavrov.
"He never shies away from hopping on a plane or having an in-person meeting, but we want to ensure that that is undertaken with seriousness on the other end as well," Psaki said.
The global community is seeking to shore up the interim Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who is due to visit the White House on Wednesday, ahead of snap presidential elections in May.
But Moscow is refusing point blank to talk to the interim leaders, maintaining they have been put in place illegitimately.
"The point is we're not just going to walk into something, where they're just going to say 'no, no, no' to everything and we've travelled all the way there. We're not going to do that," a State Department official said, asking not to be named.
President Barack Obama's welcome for Yatsenyuk shows the United States "believes the Ukrainian government has responsibly filled the vacuum left by the sudden, hasty and voluntary departure" of Yanukovych, White House spokesman Jay Carney said.
In his latest call to a prominent world leader on the crisis, Obama spoke Monday to President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan about Ukraine, the National Security Council said on Twitter.
Kazakhstan is a key potential member of the Eurasian Economic Union that Putin hopes to set up with ex-Soviet states. So was Ukraine.
But Yanukovych's ouster and Ukraine's expected turn towards the West leaves the plan for the bloc supposed to compete with the EU in doubt.

Russia floats own solution to Ukraine crisis

MOSCOW: Russia vowed on Monday to unveil its own solution to the Ukrainian crisis that would run counter to US efforts and would appear to leave room for Crimea to switch over to Kremlin rule.
The unexpected announcement came as Ukraine's new pro-European leaders raced to rally Western support in the face of the seizure by Kremlin-backed forces of the strategic Black Sea peninsula and plans to hold a Sunday referendum on switching Crimea's allegiance from Kiev to Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to invade Ukraine after a wave of deadly protests toppled a pro-Kremlin regime last month has set off the most explosive crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War.
US President Barack Obama and his European allies are urging Russia to call its troops in Crimea back to their barracks and launch immediate negotiations with the new Ukrainian leadership, which Putin claims rose to power thanks to an "unconstitutional coup".
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Putin in a televised meeting Monday that proposals he had received from US Secretary of State John Kerry on resolving the standoff "do not suit us very much" and were "framed as if there exists a conflict between Russia and Ukraine."
He said Russia had prepared a series of counter-proposals that would "take into account the interests of all Ukrainians".
Lavrov said Washington was basing its solution on a recognition of Kiev's new leaders while Russia still considered the ousted Viktor Yanukovych as the legitimate president of Ukraine.
But Lavrov gave no indication about when or where Russia's proposals would be made public.
Putin backs Crimea referendum:
Putin added new urgency to the standoff on Sunday by telling German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron that he fully backed the actions being taken by the self-declared rulers of Crimea -- in power since an end-of-February seizure of the government by pro-Kremlin gunmen.
The Kremlin said Putin stressed "the steps undertaken by the legitimate authorities of Crimea are based on the norms of international law" a comment strongly hinting that Moscow was ready to annex Crimea after handing the peninsula to Ukraine as a "gift" when it was a part of the Soviet empire in 1954.
Merkel whose cautious approach to imposing sanctions on Moscow has clashed with the more hawkish positions of eastern European nations and Washington bluntly responded that the Crimean referendum was "illegal."
US ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt told reporters in Kiev on Monday that Washington "is not prepared to recognise any result of the so-called referendum".
The public vote will ask the predominantly ethnic Russian population to choose between swearing allegiance to Moscow and declaring greater autonomy from Kiev while remaining a part of Ukraine.
Ukraine's interim Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said that if Crimea's leaders "want more rights and authority, then we are ready to do this."
The country's interim Defence Minister Igor Tenyukh meanwhile said the nation's army already on full combat alert had launched training exercises aimed at evaluating how the heavily outnumbered force could resist an offensive from its nuclear-armed neighbour.
The diplomatic wrangling continued as Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk prepared to fly to the United States to meet Obama and address the UN Security Council.
His first meeting with the US leader on Wednesday should add credibility to Yatsenyuk's untested government and provide Ukraine with a chance to iron out the details of crucial economic relief for its struggling economy.
The White House said Obama will discuss an economic support package that has already seen Washington pledge a quick infusion of more than $1 billion and the European Union promise to issue 11 billion euros ($15 billion) over two years.
Kiev says it needs about 25 billion euros ($35 billion) through 2015 to keep the country running after Russia froze a $15-billion bailout it promised Yanukovych as his reward for rejecting an EU trade deal in November that initially sparked the protests.
Split between Russia and China:
The escalating crisis has seen Obama vow to impose travel bans and asset freezes on Russian officials held responsible for endangering the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
US officials have stressed that Putin himself is not on that list but have also warned that Washington could pull out of a G8 summit the Russian leader is hosting in Sochi in June.
The European Union for its part has halted visa talks and threatened to impose tough economic sanctions unless Putin quickly opens talks with Kiev.
The UN Security Council later on Monday will hold another meeting on Ukraine amid a rare but potentially significant split between allies China and Russia.
Beijing on Sunday affirmed its support for the "sovereignty and territorial integrity" of Ukraine a stance that appears to signal that its own concerns about separatist movements in China outweigh the importance of preserving a united front with Russia on foreign affairs.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday warned against "provocative rhetoric and hasty actions" as he appealed for dialogue on Ukraine.
In a separate development, NATO announced it would deploy reconnaissance flights over Poland and Romania to monitor the crisis in Ukraine.
Crimea's separatist government said on Monday it had invited the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the referendum even while keeping the group's military observers from entering the region at gunpoint.
The European security body said it did not recognise the invitation as valid because it had not come from an OSCE members state but only an autonomous region of Ukraine.

Rival Ukraine rallies raise tensions as Crimea crisis deepens

KIEV: Thousands took to the streets for rival pro- and anti-Kremlin rallies across Ukraine on Sunday as the West and Moscow dug in their heels over a deepening crisis in Crimea.
The protests come after a new marathon round of phone calls by US President Barack Obama seeking to defuse the Cold War-style standoff in the ex-Soviet state.
Tensions in Ukraine's Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which has come under de facto control by Russian forces, have resulted in a new face-off between Russia and the West, with each side imposing sanctions or warning of further prohibitive measures to force the other to back down.
Foreign observers have failed to get into Crimea, a majority Russophone region of Ukraine, to get a first-hand look at the situation on the ground and were forced to turn back on Saturday after pro-Kremlin gunmen fired warning shots.
Ukrainian border guards said Saturday that about 60 Russian military lorries had entered the rugged peninsula of two million in the last 24 hours by land and sea, a sign that Moscow was far from pulling back.
They also said "Russian extremists" had attacked a Crimea radar post, in the latest move by pro-Russian forces who have surrounded Ukrainian military bases and taken at least one missile defence unit.
"Armed attackers in military uniform and civil clothes broke the door and entered the building. Radio technic units and telecommunication cables were dissembled and destroyed," the border guards said in a statement in English on their website.
Sunday marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko and patriotic rallies were planned in Kiev and -- in a show of defiance towards Russia -- in Crimea's key cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol.
The rallies are also significant ahead of controversial plans by Crimea's regional pro-Moscow government to hold a referendum on joining Russia on March 16, which could lead to a formal annexation of the territory.
In the eastern city of Donetsk, a former stronghold of Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych and the site of regular protests in recent days, there were fears of clashes as pro-Kiev demonstrators planned to celebrate Shevchenko, while pro-Russian protesters were due to hold a counter-rally.
The 19th-century poet has been credited with creating the modern Ukrainian language and the idea of Ukraine as a nation, giving the new Wester-backed government in Kiev a powerful opportunity on Sunday to revive some nationalist fervour in the face of Russia's incursion.

Putin says wants ’diplomatic solution’ to Ukraine crisis: London

LONDON: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he wanted to find a "diplomatic solution" to the crisis in Ukraine in a telephone call with British Prime Minister David Cameron, according to Downing Street.
Cameron had called Putin to urge him to "de-escalate" the situation in Ukraine and to support the formation of a contact group that could lead to direct talks between Moscow and the new leaders in Kiev.
"President Putin agreed that it is in all our interests to have a stable Ukraine," a Downing Street spokeswoman said.
"He said that Russia did want to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis and that he would discuss the proposals on the contact group with Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov tomorrow."
Cameron had made clear to Putin that Britain, along with its European partners and the United States, "want to work with Russia to find a diplomatic solution to the situation in Ukraine, including Crimea".
The British prime minister told Putin that "we recognise the right of all Ukrainian people to choose their future" and that elections scheduled for May "provide the best way to do this".

Obama calls world leaders about Ukraine crisis

FLORIDA: President Barack Obama made a series of phone calls on Saturday to world leaders about the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi the White House said.
He also held a conference call about the situation with the presidents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a statement. No further details about the discussions were immediately available.

Commodities face rollercoaster week on Ukraine crisis

LONDON: Global commodities experienced volatile trade this week on worries over Ukraine, with oil spiking before sliding on receding tensions, while gold sparkled as investors sought shelter from the crisis.
Sentiment was also hit by demand concerns after more weak data from the Asian powerhouse China, a top consumer of raw materials.
Elsewhere, drought conditions in Brazil sent coffee and sugar prices soaring to major peaks on supply concerns.
Traders drew some strength on Friday from better-than-expected US non-farm payrolls data in the world's biggest economy.
- Crude oil prices bounce -
OIL: The oil market spiked on Monday to the highest levels this year as the Ukraine crisis raised concerns about disruptions to energy supplies.
But prices then fell back on Tuesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin declared there was "no need" yet to send troops into Ukraine.
Crude futures retreated as fears of an immediate armed conflict in Ukraine receded, but analysts said the presence of Russian-backed troops in the Crimean peninsula continued to support prices.
Russia faces sanctions from the US and Europeans which potentially could wreak turmoil in markets -- especially as Russia is a crucial global energy producer and exporter of natural gas to Western Europe.
More than 70 percent of its gas and oil exports to Europe pass through Ukraine.
Markets were also hit on Wednesday by fresh concerns over growth in China, which is the world's second biggest crude consuming nation.
China's National People's Congress began its annual meeting on Wednesday, with Premier Li Keqiang saying the government was targeting 7.5 growth in 2014, unchanged from last year's forecast.
The figure is below the 7.7 percent recorded in 2013 and 2012, and is the lowest growth rate since 1999.
The market took another knock on Wednesday after the US Department of Energy said commercial crude-oil inventories rose by 1.4 million barrels in the week ending February 28.
That was more than expectations of a 1.0 million barrel gain, indicating demand that was weaker than expected for the world's largest crude-oil consumer.
By Friday on London's Intercontinental Exchange, Brent North Sea crude for delivery in April dipped to $108.54 a barrel from $108.99 a week earlier.
On the New York Mercantile Exchange, West Texas Intermediate or light sweet crude for April eased to $102.52 per barrel from $102.59.
- Haven investment gold shines -
PRECIOUS METALS: Gold touched a four-month high at $1,354.87 an ounce as investors sought safety amid the Ukraine crisis.
"The price rise came on the back of the increasing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which sparked greater demand for gold as a safe haven," said Commerzbank analyst Daniel Briesemann.
Gold is regarded as a safe investment in times of economic or political uncertainty.
By late Friday on the London Bullion Market, the price of gold grew to $1,335.25 an ounce from $1,326.50 a week earlier.
Silver rose to $21.38 an ounce from $21.27.
On the London Platinum and Palladium Market, platinum increased to $1,474 an ounce from $1,447.
Palladium climbed to $776 an ounce from $743.
BASE METALS: Aluminium, copper and lead struck multi-month lows, partly because of poor data in key consumer China.
"The prices of many of the key industrial metals have continued to fall since the beginning of this year amid concerns about the risk of a slowdown in Chinese demand after disappointing PMI readings in both January and February," said Capital Economics research group.
Chinese manufacturing activity contracted in February at its worst rate in seven months, British banking giant HSBC said Monday, the latest data indicating trouble in the world's number two economy.
HSBC said its final purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China, which tracks manufacturing activity in factories and workshops, fell to 48.5 last month.
It was a slight increase on the flash PMI of 48.3 but it remained the weakest reading since July. A reading above 50 indicates growth, while anything below signals contraction.
By Friday on the London Metal Exchange, copper for delivery in three months fell to $6,854 a tonne from $7,009 week earlier.
Three-month aluminium rose to $1,766.75 a tonne from $1,762.
Three-month lead dipped to $2,108 a tonne from $2,134.
Three-month tin decreased to $23,100 a tonne from $23,499.
Three-month nickel gained to $15,388 a tonne from $14,550.
Three-month zinc grew to $2,070.75 a tonne from $2,064.75.
- Coffee, sugar hit heights -
COFFEE: Prices spiked to a two-year pinnacle in New York, as traders fretted once more over drought conditions in key producer Brazil.
"Arabica coffee now costs more than 200 US cents per pound again for the first time in two years," said Commerzbank analyst Michaela Kuhl.
"The dry weather in the Brazilian growing areas is still keeping the markets on tenterhooks."
Arabica-quality coffee, which has surged close to 80 percent in value since the start of the year, reached 204.10 US cents a pound on Wednesday, the highest level since early March 2012.
Robusta meanwhile hit a near one-year peak at $2,136 a tonne on Tuesday.
"The main focus of the market is still on Brazil," added Price Futures Group analyst Jack Scoville.
"The lack of rain in coffee producing areas over the last month has hurt coffee production potential.
"Traders also keep waiting for more coffee to appear from Vietnam. Exports so far this year from Vietnam have been disappointing."
By Friday on ICE Futures US, Arabica for delivery in May leapt to 196.05 US cents a pound from 179.25 cents a week earlier.
On LIFFE, Robusta for May jumped to $2,076 a tonne from $2,038.
SUGAR: Prices scaled more four-month highs on drought conditions in Brazil.
"Weather conditions in key production areas around the world are rated as mostly good except for the dry weather in Brazil," added Scoville.
"Traders are watching Ukraine and Russia as both are important sugarbeet producers, although this production stays at home.
"Any losses in either country could increase world demand."
By Friday on LIFFE, the price of a tonne of white sugar for delivery in May increased to $484.70 from $476.30 a week earlier.
On ICE Futures US, the price of unrefined sugar for delivery in May gained to 18.31 US cents a pound from 17.74 US cents.
COCOA: Prices steadied after striking recent 2.5 year highs on the back of stretched global supplies.
By Friday on LIFFE, London's futures exchange, cocoa for delivery in May rose to £1,845 a tonne from £1,838 a week earlier.
On the ICE Futures US exchange, cocoa for May eased to $2,962 a tonne from $2,969.
RUBBER: Prices in Kuala Lumpur rebounded as low production from leading rubber producers squeezed global supplies.
The Malaysian Rubber Board's benchmark SMR20 advanced to 195.40 US cents a kilo from 188.70 cents a week earlier.

Geneva motor show set to make tracks out of crisis

PARIS: The Geneva Motor Show will kick off next week on an optimistic note as the long-suffering European car market appears to finally have swerved out of the slow lane.
Luxurious sports cars, high-end SUVs and city cars will be bumper-to-bumper at the show one of the auto industry's biggest and most diverse events as it cruises out from under the long shadow of industry crisis.
Carmakers and analysts alike say the worst of the difficulties are now in the rear-view mirror.
"The worst of the crisis is over, so the mood should be good," Juergen Pieper, a car industry analyst with German bank Metzler, told AFP.
New car registrations in the European Union slipped just 1.7 percent last year, to 11.8 million cars sold, after five years of far more brutal falls.
But sales are finally expected to pick up this year, according to German car industry analyst Stefan Bratzel.
By how much remains to be seen: the most cautious observers expect sales to remain flat while the most optimistic are gearing up for three-percent market growth.
"The markets fell really low, so obviously they will have to start picking up at some point," EY analyst Jean-Francois Belorgey said, adding that northern Europe was doing better than the south of the continent.
France remained a dark spot on the European map, seeing car sales in 2013 fall to their lowest level in 15 years with little prospect of growth this year, while Italy also touched rock-bottom, selling just 1.3 million cars.
"The economic fundamentals in France and Italy remain fragile," Belorgey acknowledged.
And despite the expected upturn this year, Europe's car industry remains plagued by overcapacity and profitability issues for mid-range carmakers, according to credit insurance and analysis group Euler Hermes, pointing to several recent factory closings, at PSA, Opel and Ford.
Range of new models:
German carmakers, who sell heavily in North America and Asia where sales especially at the high end are up, are meanwhile doing quite well.
Their international presence allows them to counter still sluggish sales in Europe and keep their factories running at full-tilt.
Volkswagen raked in a net profit of 9.1 billion euros ($12.6 billion) last year, while Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz and Smart among others, posted a record net profit of 8.7 billion euros.
And the German manufacturers are aiming for even better traction with a range of new products, including the Volkswagen's third generation Audi TT and a new BMW compact.
France's Renault and Italy's Fiat have seen far more modest profits, while PSA Peugeot Citroen suffered a 2.3-billion-euro loss last year, although it hopes a cash injection from the French state and China's Dongfeng will put it on the road to recovery.
Despite their continued hardship, French carmakers should play a more central role at this year's Geneva Motor Show, where smaller city cars are expected to get more attention than previously.
"They are presenting a number of important new products," Pieper said, listing for instance Renault's launch of a new Twingo, which will face off against the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 108.
Such small, punchy city vehicles will as always have to battle for attention with exceptional, luxury cars at the 84th edition of the Geneva car show.
While the show will not feature last year's overwhelming display of extravagant machines priced over the million dollar mark, there will still be plenty to see for car enthusiasts.
Ferrari's new version of its California T sport car and Lamborghini's new Huracan, both priced at round 200,000 euros, will likely draw crowds.
But perhaps the most popular attraction at this year's show, set to open to the public from March 6-16, will be something in between: super trendy SUVs and crossovers.
Porsche, once known only as a sport car maker, will for instance speed into the mid-size SUV range with its new Macan, in the hope it will prove as popular as its big sister Cayenne, which accounts for more than half of the carmakers sales.
American carmaker Ford is meanwhile revving up to unveil a third installment of its hugely popular compact Focus the world's most sold model.

UN Security Council to conduct urgent meeting on Ukraine crisis

UNITED NATIONS: UN Security Council will hold an urgent meeting on the crisis in Ukraine on Saturday after Russia announced plans to send armed forces into the autonomous Crimea region of the former Soviet republic, council delegations said.
A diplomat from Luxembourg, president of the 15-nation council this month, said the meeting would take place at 2:00 p.m. EST (1900 GMT) and was being convened at the request of Britain.
The council met on Friday to discuss the crisis in Ukraine's Crimea region but took no formal action, as expected.
The meeting highlighted the deep divisions between the United States and other Western nations and Russia, which has a major Black Sea naval base in the Crimea.
At Friday's session, Ukraine accused Russia of illegal military incursions onto Ukrainian territory, while US and European delegations warned Moscow to withdraw any new military forces deployed in neighboring Ukraine.
Russia, however, said any military movements by Russian forces there were in compliance with its agreement with Kiev on maintaining its naval base there.
Russia is a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council and, therefore, able to block any actions proposed by its members.

As Ukraine Crisis Rumbles, Georgia Leader Visits U.S.

WASHINGTON — Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili of Georgia met with Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday to discuss ways to develop his nation’s economy and reinforce its pro-Western path. But the tumultuous events in Ukraine, and Moscow’s decision to send a message by conducting a surprise military exercise in western Russia, have cast a shadow on the Georgian leader’s visit here.

In an interview on Tuesday night, Mr. Garibashvili reflected on Russia’s role and developments in Ukraine, which Georgia hopes will now move toward greater integration with Europe.

Georgia has been pursuing membership in the European Union and NATO, a bid it has reinforced by sending troops to participate in the multinational force in Afghanistan. But Georgia has been powerless to stop Russia’s muscle flexing closer to home, activity that Mr. Garibashvili said had accelerated as soon as the Winter Olympics were over.

Mr. Garibashvili said Russia had resumed work on barbed-wire fences in the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Georgia, the United States and most of the world consider South Ossetia to be Georgian territory. Russia, which sent troops to occupy the area during its 2008 war with Georgia, considers South Ossetia an independent country.

“They are installing these fences, and they are calling it border,” Mr. Garibashvili said. “They suspended these actions in December, and they renewed right after the Sochi Olympic Games.”

Mr. Garibashvili said that Georgia would never use force to recover South Ossetia and Abkhazia, another breakaway area, but expressed hope the regions would voluntarily rejoin Georgia after it was further integrated with Europe.

“They will have a very clear picture, maybe in five years, maybe in 10 years, and they will see the difference,” Mr. Garibashvili added. “And they will have to decide whether they will want to live in the darkness or live in a brighter future.”

Events in Ukraine, another former Soviet republic struggling to find its own way, were also on Mr. Garibashvili’s mind.

As far back as Eduard Shevardnadze, the former Soviet foreign minister who served as president of a newly independent Georgia from 1995 to 2003, Georgia leaders have said a Ukraine that sought its future in Europe would help ease the process for Georgia.

Georgian leaders plan to sign partnership and free-trade agreements with the European Union in August, a prospect likely to further irritate Russia.

“They’re expecting Russian pressure between now and then not to go forward,” said Kenneth S. Yalowitz, a former diplomat who served as the American ambassador in Georgia from 1998 to 2001. “If Ukraine is going forward with the E.U. it is going to make it a lot easier for Georgia.”

In his interview, Mr. Garibashvili said that he hoped Ukraine would return to its “European choice” by joining Georgia and Moldova in signing a partnership agreement with the European Union—and that the West would reciprocate as well.

“I think Ukraine has quite serious economic problems. And I think the European Union, together with I.M.F. and with other international institutions, should find a solution now to solve their problems,” he said. “It all matters how fast they will do this. I heard that the European Union offered 20 billion euros. I think they should be very flexible.”

During his trip to Washington, Mr. Garibashvili has sought to strengthen ties by meeting with President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and by giving a well attended speech to the Atlantic Council, a nonpartisan Washington research organization.

Balancing his interest in joining NATO with his efforts to improve ties to Moscow remains challenging, at best. Georgia has argued that tying its economic policy to the West would not be damaging to Russia, but there is nothing to indicate that Russia President Vladimir V. Putin is prepared to accept that argument.

“We have to persuade them,” Mr. Garibashvili said of the Russians. “We have to try. We have to show them the reality. Russia should be interested in having a reliable and predictable neighbor country.”

Asked if Russia’s loss of influence in Ukraine might make Moscow toughen its policy toward Georgia, Mr. Garibashvili gave a somewhat philosophical reply.

“Nothing is excluded,” he said. “Georgia has already experienced that pressure from Russia when we had this war in 2008. Twenty percent of our terroritory is occupied, so what else can be done? Now Russia does not have too many economic leverages on us.”

Ukraine, he said, is a different story. “Ukraine is dependent on Russia, and Russia can play with this.”