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ByPeterLeonard TheAssociatedPress DONETSK,UKRAINE Pro-Moscow insurgents in eastern Ukraine de- clared independence Monday and sought to join Russia, undermin- ing upcoming presidential elec- tions, strengthening the Krem- lin's hand and putting pressure on Kiev to hold talks with the sep- aratists following a referendum on self-rule. Russia signaled it has no in- tention of subsuming eastern Ukraine the way it annexed Crimea in March. Instead, Mos- cow is pushing to include east- ern regions in negotiations on Ukraine's future — suggesting that Russia prefers a political rather than a military solution to its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War. Such talks are central to a po- tential path toward peace outlined Monday by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Eu- rope. The plan laid out by Swiss President Didier Burkhalter calls on all sides to refrain from vio- lence and urges immediate am- nesty, talks on decentralization and the status of the Russian lan- guage. That's a key complaint of in- surgents who have seized power in eastern regions and clashed with government troops and police. But it's up to the Ukrainian gov- ernment to take the next step. Acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk pledged to hold a di- alogue with Ukraine's east. But he gave no specifics and stopped short of addressing Sunday's ref- erendum and the declarations of independence in the pro-Moscow regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. "We would like to launch the broad national dialogue with the east, center, the west, and all of Ukraine," Yatsenyuk told a news conference in Brussels, adding that the agenda for talks should include changes to the constitu- tion that would give more powers to the regions. Ukraine's central government and the West say the Kremlin has encouraged weeks of unrest in eastern Ukraine in a possible at- tempt to grab more land. Russia says that's not so, and accuses the West of meddling in a region that Moscow sees as its backyard. The Ukrainian government's room to maneuver is shrinking. With national presidential elec- tions scheduled for May 25, the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared independence Monday, and those in Donetsk even asked to join enormous neighbor Russia instead. The sprawling areas along Russia's border, home to about 6.6 million people, form Ukraine's in- dustrial heartland. "We, the people of the Donetsk People's Republic, based on the re- sults of the May 11, 2014, referen- dum . declare that henceforth the Donetsk People's Republic will be deemed a sovereign state," Denis Pushilin, co-chairman of the insur- gent government, said to applause Monday. Wearing an ill-fitting suit and reading his speech from a Mac laptop, he continued, "The people of Donetsk have always been part of the Russian world, regardless of ethnic affiliation. For us, the his- tory of Russia is our history." A day earlier, both regions held a slapdash referendum that Ukraine's acting president called a "sham" and Western governments said violated international law. White House spokesman Jay Carney says the United States does not recognize the results of the vote, and is focusing on mak- ing sure Ukraine's presidential election takes place as planned in 13 days. But that is starting to look in doubt: Luhansk spokesman Vas- ily Nikitin said his region will not take part. The interim government in Kiev had been hoping the presidential vote would unify the country be- hind a new, democratically chosen leadership. Ukraine's crisis could grow even worse if regions start rejecting the presidential elec- tion. Dozens of people have been reported killed since Ukrainian forces began trying to retake some eastern cities. Organizers said 89 percent of those who cast ballots Sunday in the Donetsk region and about 96 percent of those who turned out in Luhansk voted for sovereignty. Voters "have chosen that path that has enabled the formation of an independent state — the Lu- hansk People's Republic," said self-declared "people's governor" Valery Bolotov at a rally in the city of Luhansk. EUROPE InsurgentsinUkraine declare independence EVGENIYMALOLETKA—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Pro-Russian gunmen and activists react while listening to a speaker as they declare independence for the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine on Monday. News feed RENO, NEV. A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a split deci- sion on Monday upholding the government roundup of more than 1,600 wild horses along the Nevada-California line in 2010. In the 2-1 ruling, the appel- late panel in San Francisco rejected an appeal by horse advocates accusing the U.S. Bureau of Land Manage- ment of gathering too many mustangs in violation of sev- eral laws, including the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. Judge Carlos Bea con- cluded in the majority opin- ion the BLM completed the necessary environmental re- views for the Twin Peaks roundup not far from the Or- egon line, and that the court must defer to the agency's expertise. Judge Johnnie Rawlinson wrote in a strongly worded dissent that such defer- ence isn't warranted if the agency interprets part of a law inconsistently with its overall purpose. She ar- gues BLM violated the in- tent of Congress to protect the horses. — The Associated Press WILD HORSES Courtupholdsroundup on Calif.-Nevada line ROME A boat crowded with migrants sank Monday in the Mediterranean just beyond Libya's territorial waters, leaving at least 14 people dead, said the Italian navy, which helped rescue more than 200 survivors. A tugboat that was travel- ing between oil platforms in the area spotted the vessel in difficulty, and was the first to come to the rescue when it overturned and then sank, said a navy spokesman, Capt. Marco Maccaroni. "The tugboat estimated that there were about 200 on board when it saw it before it sank," Maccaroni said. Seas were calm and it was unclear what caused the migrants' boat to go down, Maccaroni said. But he added that it of- ten happens that when mi- grants see another vessel nearby, "they all move to one side, causing their boat to tip over." By nightfall, 206 peo- ple had been rescued, the navy official said. He said it wasn't clear if any people were missing because the ex- act number of migrants who set out on the boat wasn't known. — The Associated Press EUROPE At least 14 migrants dead in north Libya sea BEIRUT Heavy fighting broke out Monday between rival ji- hadi groups in an oil-rich east- ern Syrian province border- ing Iraq, forcing many resi- dents to flee, activists said. The Britain-based Syr- ian Observatory for Human Rights said the fighting con- centrated on the eastern parts of Deir el-Zour prov- ince. An activist based in the province who goes by the name of Abdul-Aziz Sheik said many tribesmen have joined the battle on the side of the Syrian al-Qaida af- filiate known as the Nusra Front, which is fighting an al-Qaida breakaway group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The infighting comes ahead of a presidential elec- tion on June 3 that current President Bashar Assad is expected to win. The vote gives him a mandate to con- tinue his violent crackdown on rebels in the Syrian civil war, which activists say has killed more than 150,000 people. A German Foreign Office official said Berlin would not allow Syrians in Germany to vote in the election remotely. — The Associated Press MIDDLE EAST Battles rage in eastern Syria, activists say ISTANBUL Europe's top hu- man rights court in its larg- est ever judgment ordered Turkey on Monday to pay $123 million to Cyprus for its 1974 invasion and the island's sub- sequent division. The decision from the Eu- ropean Court of Human Rights said the passage of time did not erase Turkey's responsibility in the case, ruling that Turkey must pay 30 million euros in damages to relatives of those missing in the operations and 60 mil- lion euros for "the enclaved Greek-Cypriot residents of the Karpas peninsula." Hundreds of Greek Cypri- ots still live in the Karpas pen- insula in the northernmost tip of the breakaway Turkish Cy- priot part of the island. Cyprus has been divided since Turkey invaded in 1974 after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Tur- key recognizes the break- away Turkish Cypriot state that was proclaimed in the north of the island. The judgment comes as the Turkish and Greek Cy- priot communities are mak- ing a new effort to reunite the island. — The Associated Press WORLD Court: Turkey to pay Cyprus over invasion The latest case is not an American — he is a resi- dent of Saudi Arabia, visiting Florida, who is now in an Or- lando hospital. He was diagnosed with MERS, or Middle East Re- spiratory Syndrome, Sunday night. It is a respiratory ill- ness that begins with flu-like fever and cough but can lead to shortness of breath, pneu- monia and death. Fortunately, the U.C. cases so far have not been severe. The first case, a man in In- diana, was released from a hospital late last week. And this latest patient is doing well, officials said. The two cases are not linked, said officials with the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention, during a news conference Monday. MERS is a respiratory ill- ness that begins with flu-like fever and cough but can lead to shortness of breath, pneu- monia and death. Most cases have been in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East. But earlier this month a first U.S. case was diagnosed in a man who traveled from Saudi Arabia to Indiana. — The Associated Press DISEASE Officials: 2nd US case of MERS reported By Rahim Faiez The Associated Press JALALABAD, AFGHANISTAN The Taliban unleashed a wave of attacks that killed 21 people around the country, making a show of strength to start the spring fighting season. The an- nual surge in violence poses a new test for Afghan security forces, who for the first time will face it largely on their own as international combat forces prepare to withdraw. Spring each year brings an escalation in fighting in Afghanistan with the end of snowy winter weather, which hampers movement. The melting of the snows opens up mountain passes allowing mili- tant forces to move in from ref- uges in neighboring Pakistan. This year's offensive by the Taliban will be an important gauge of how well Afghan gov- ernment forces face insurgent attacks once foreign combat forces leave at the end of the year. Since last spring, Afghan troopsandpolicehavetakenup full security duties in the coun- try,withU.S.andNATOtroops training and mentoring in the background,rarelyintervening directly with air support. Around 30,000 U.S. troops remain on the ground in Af- ghanistan, the lowest number since the 2001 invasion. The Taliban warned last week that they'd launch their annual spring offensive on Monday, and it was no bluff — with a flurry of rocket blasts and attacks on police around the country and the storming of a government building in an eastern city. The violence began with a pre-dawn rocket attack on the main NATO base at Bagram, just north of the Afghan cap- ital, as well as another on Ka- bul's international airport soon after — both largely symbolic, doing little damage. But around 9 a.m., three Taliban attackers attacked a provincial Justice Ministry building in Jalalabad, in east- ern Afghanistan. They shot and killed two police guards and rushed into the building, just as employees were arriv- ing for work, said provincial government spokesman Ah- mad Zia Abdulzai. Security forces rushed to the scene. Gunners on the vehicles blasted the build- ing with heavy machine guns from several directions during a 4 ½-hour gunbattle with the militants inside. AFGHANISTAN Taliban kill 21 at start of spring fighting NEWS » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, May 13, 2014 MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS B3