SATURDAY FEBRUARY 14 FIXTURES

England - FA Cup February 14
13:45 West Bromwich Albion ? - ? West Ham United 16:00 Blackburn Rovers ? - ? Stoke City 16:00 Derby County ? - ? Reading 18:30 Crystal Palace ? - ? Liverpool
England - Championship February 14
16:00 AFC Bournemouth ? - ? Huddersfield Town 16:00 Blackpool ? - ? Nottingham Forest 16:00 Bolton Wanderers ? - ? Watford 16:00 Charlton Athletic ? - ? Brentford
16:00 Fulham ? - ? Ipswich Town 16:00 Leeds United ? - ? Millwall 16:00 Norwich City ? - ? Wolverhampton Wander... 16:00 Sheffield Wednesday ? - ? Brighton & Hove Albion
England - League 1 February 14
16:00 Bristol City ? - ? Sheffield United 16:00 Chesterfield ? - ? Leyton Orient 16:00 Crawley Town ? - ? Barnsley 16:00 Crewe Alexandra ? - ? Fleetwood Town
16:00 Doncaster Rovers ? - ? Yeovil Town 16:00 Gillingham ? - ? Milton Keynes Dons Postp. Notts County ? - ? Preston North End 16:00 Oldham Athletic ? - ? Colchester United 16:00 Peterborough United ? - ? Rochdale
16:00 Scunthorpe United ? - ? Swindon Town 16:00 Walsall ? - ? Port Vale
England - League 2 February 14
16:00 Burton Albion ? - ? Oxford United
16:00 Cheltenham Town ? - ? Bury 16:00 Hartlepool United ? - ? Stevenage 16:00 Luton Town ? - ? Carlisle United 16:00 Mansfield Town ? - ? Northampton Town 16:00 Plymouth Argyle ? - ? Cambridge United
16:00 Portsmouth ? - ? Exeter City 16:00 Shrewsbury Town ? - ? AFC Wimbledon 16:00 Southend United ? - ? Accrington Stanley 16:00 Wycombe Wanderers ? - ? Newport County 16:00 York City ? - ? Tranmere Rovers
England - Conference Premier February 14
16:00 Aldershot Town ? - ? Welling United 16:00 Altrincham ? - ? Forest Green Rovers 16:00 Braintree Town ? - ? Alfreton Town
16:00 Eastleigh ? - ? Torquay United 16:00 Gateshead FC ? - ? Nuneaton Town 16:00 Grimsby Town ? - ? Bristol Rovers 16:00 Halifax Town ? - ? Dover 16:00 Kidderminster Harriers ? - ? Woking
16:00 Lincoln ? - ? Chester FC 16:00 Southport ? - ? Macclesfield Town 16:00 Telford ? - ? Dartford 16:00 Wrexham ? - ? Barnet
England - Conference North February 14
16:00 AFC Fylde ? - ? Harrogate 16:00 Barrow ? - ? Solihull Moors 16:00 Boston Utd. ? - ? Bradford PA 16:00 Chorley ? - ? Gloucester City
16:00 Colwyn Bay ? - ? Worcester 16:00 Guiseley ? - ? Hednesford 16:00 Leamington ? - ? Gainsborough 16:00 North Ferriby United ? - ? Tamworth 16:00 Oxford City ? - ? Lowestoft Town
16:00 Stalybridge ? - ? Brackley Town 16:00 Stockport ? - ? Hyde FC
England - Conference South February 14
16:00 Bishop's Stortford ? - ? Ebbsfleet United
16:00 Boreham Wood ? - ? Concord Rangers 16:00 Bromley ? - ? Hayes & Yeading United 16:00 Eastbourne Borough ? - ? Havant and W. 16:00 Farnborough ? - ? Hemel Hempstead 16:00 Gosport Borough ? - ? Bath City
16:00 Maidenhead U ? - ? Chelmsford 16:00 St.Albans ? - ? Basingstoke 16:00 Staines Town ? - ? Wealdstone 16:00 Sutton United ? - ? Weston Super Mare
Italy - Serie A February 14
18:00 Sassuolo ? - ? Fiorentina 20:45 Palermo ? - ? SSC Napoli
Italy - Serie B February 14
15:00 Avellino ? - ? Frosinone 15:00 Bari ? - ? Vicenza 15:00 Bologna ? - ? Ternana 15:00 Carpi ? - ? Spezia 15:00 Entella ? - ? Trapani
15:00 Latina ? - ? Pescara 15:00 Pro Vercelli ? - ? Cittadella 15:00 Varese ? - ? Livorno 15:00 Virtus Lanciano ? - ? Brescia
Italy - Lega Pro:: group A February 14
16:00 Pro Patria ? - ? Sudtirol 19:30 Alessandria ? - ? Lumezzane 19:30 Monza ? - ? Albinoleffe
Italy - Lega Pro:: group B February 14
14:30 Lucchese ? - ? SPAL 2013 14:30 Tuttocuoio ? - ? Pistoiese 15:00 Forli ? - ? Grosseto 17:00 San Marino ? - ? L'Aquila
17:00 Teramo ? - ? Santarcangelo
Italy - Lega Pro:: group C February 14
14:00 Melfi ? - ? Salernitana 15:00 Ischia Isolaverde ? - ? Aversa
15:00 Savoia ? - ? Barletta 16:00 Foggia ? - ? Vigor Lamezia 16:00 Martina ? - ? Benevento
Spain - Liga BBVA February 14
16:00 Sevilla ? - ? Cordoba 18:00 Real Madrid ? - ? Deportivo La Coruna 20:00 Granada ? - ? Athletic Bilbao 22:00 Malaga ? - ? Espanyol
Spain - Liga Adelante February 14
18:00 Osasuna ? - ? Llagostera 18:15 Recreativo Huelva ? - ? Mallorca 20:00 Barcelona B ? - ? Alaves 21:00 Mirandes ? - ? Tenerife
Germany - Bundesliga February 14
15:30 Bayer Leverkusen ? - ? Wolfsburg 15:30 Bayern Munich ? - ? Hamburger SV 15:30 Borussia Moenchenglad... ? - ? FC Cologne
15:30 Hoffenheim ? - ? VfB Stuttgart 15:30 Werder Bremen ? - ? Augsburg 18:30 Eintracht Frankfurt ? - ? Schalke 04
Germany - 2nd Bundesliga February 14
13:00 Ingolstadt ? - ? Sandhausen 13:00 Kaiserslautern ? - ? Aalen
Germany - 3rd Liga February 14
14:00 Chemnitzer FC ? - ? Stuttgarter Kickers
14:00 Hallescher FC ? - ? Unterhaching 14:00 Holstein Kiel ? - ? Dynamo Dresden 14:00 Jahn Regensburg ? - ? VfB Stuttgart II 14:00 RW Erfurt ? - ? Preußen Muenster 14:00 Sonnenhof Großaspach ? - ? Hansa Rostock
14:00 Wehen ? - ? Energie Cottbus
Germany - Regionalliga Nord February 14
13:00 Hamburger SV II ? - ? Wolfsburg II 13:00 Hannover 96 II ? - ? Werder Bremen II
14:00 FT Braunschweig ? - ? Goslarer SC 14:00 Luebeck ? - ? Eintracht Norderstedt 14:00 Neumuenster ? - ? FC Hansa Lueneburg 14:00 St.Pauli II ? - ? Cloppenburg 14:00 TSV Havelse ? - ? Oldenburg
15:00 BSV Rehden ? - ? Eintracht Braunschweig II
Germany - Regionalliga West February 14
14:00 FC Hennef 05 ? - ? Oberhausen 14:00 FC Koln II ? - ? SC Wiedenbrueck
14:00 KFC Uerdingen ? - ? Sportfreunde Lotte 14:00 SC Verl ? - ? Schalke 04 II 14:00 SV Roedinghausen ? - ? Viktoria Koeln 1904 14:00 Sportfreunde Siegen ? - ? Borussia Moenchenglad... 14:00 Wattenscheid ? - ? FC Kray
France - Ligue 1 February 14
16:00 Paris Saint Germain ? - ? Caen 20:00 Lens ? - ? Evian Thonon Gaillard 20:00 Lille ? - ? Nice
20:00 Monaco ? - ? Montpellier 20:00 Nantes ? - ? Bastia 20:00 Toulouse ? - ? Rennes
France - Ligue 2 February 14
14:00 Sochaux ? - ? Nancy
France - National February 14
15:00 Red Star ? - ? Paris FC
Netherlands - Eredivisie February 14
18:30 Heracles ? - ? Feyenoord 19:45 Excelsior ? - ? FC Groningen 19:45 Vitesse ? - ? Willem II 20:45 ADO Den Haag ? - ? NAC Breda
Netherlands - Jupiler League February 14
16:30 Jong FC Twente ? - ? Telstar
Belgium - Jupiler League February 14
18:00 Zulte-Waregem ? - ? Standard Liege 20:00 Lierse ? - ? Cercle Bruges 20:00 Mouscron-Peruwelz ? - ? Oostende 20:00 Waasland-Beveren ? - ? Kortrijk
Belgium - Belgacom League February 14
19:30 Dessel ? - ? WS Bruxelles 20:00 Eupen ? - ? KV.Woluwe-Zaventem 20:00 Mons ? - ? Virton 20:00 Oud-Heverlee ? - ? Roeselare
20:00 Tubize ? - ? Geel
Portugal - Primeira Liga February 14
19:00 Gil Vicente ? - ? Pacos de Ferreira 21:15 Belenenses ? - ? Sporting CP
Portugal - Segunda Liga February 14
16:00 Beira-Mar ? - ? Santa Clara 16:00 Chaves ? - ? Maritimo B 16:00 Farense ? - ? Oriental
16:00 Freamunde ? - ? Braga B 16:00 Olhanense ? - ? Sporting Covilha 16:00 Portimonense ? - ? Uniao da Madeira 16:00 Tondela ? - ? Leixoes 16:00 Trofense ? - ? Viseu
16:00 Vitoria de Guimaraes B ? - ? Atletico 17:00 Benfica B ? - ? Oliveirense 17:00 FC Porto B ? - ? Feirense
Scotland - Premiership February 14
13:45 St.Johnstone ? - ? Celtic 16:00 Dundee FC ? - ? Partick Thistle 16:00 Kilmarnock ? - ? Dundee United 16:00 Ross County ? - ? Motherwell 16:00 St. Mirren ? - ? Inverness CT
Scotland - Championship February 14
16:00 Dumbarton ? - ? Cowdenbeath 16:00 Hearts ? - ? Livingston 16:00 Queen of South ? - ? Alloa Athletic
16:00 Raith Rovers ? - ? Falkirk
Scotland - League 1 February 14
16:00 Brechin City ? - ? Greenock Morton 16:00 Dunfermline Athletic ? - ? Stenhousemuir
16:00 Stirling Albion ? - ? Ayr United 16:00 Stranraer ? - ? Peterhead 18:30 Airdrieonians ? - ? Forfar Athletic
Scotland - League 2 February 14
16:00 Albion Rovers ? - ? Clyde 16:00 Annan Athletic ? - ? Queens Park 16:00 Berwick Rangers ? - ? Arbroath 16:00 East Stirlingshire ? - ? Elgin City 16:00 Montrose ? - ? East Fife
International - Friendly February 14
18:00 Romania ? - ? Moldova
International - Club Friendlies February 14
12:00 Spartak Moscow ? - ? Ulisses 13:00 AIK ? - ? Gefle 13:00 FC Koebenhavn ? - ? IFK Gothenburg 13:00 SoenderjyskE ? - ? AC Horsens 14:00 FC Vestsjaelland ? - ? Helsingborg
14:30 Hobro ? - ? Randers FC 15:00 FC Midtjylland ? - ? Molde 15:00 GIF Sundsvall ? - ? Ranheim 15:00 OB ? - ? Siroki Brijeg 16:00 FC Krasnodar ? - ? Viktoria Plzen
18:30 OB ? - ? Shonan Bellmare
Finland - League Cup:: group C February 14
13:15 Seinaejoen JK ? - ? FF Jaro
Austria - Bundesliga February 14
16:00 Rapid Wien ? - ? Ried 18:30 Altach ? - ? Admira Moedling 18:30 SV Groedig ? - ? Sturm Graz 18:30 Wiener Neustadt ? - ? Salzburg
Switzerland - Super League February 14
17:45 Basel ? - ? Sion 20:00 Young Boys ? - ? Grasshoppers
Switzerland - Challenge League February 14
17:45 Chiasso ? - ? Lausanne 17:45 Wohlen ? - ? Schaffhausen
Greece - Super League February 14
AAW Panthrakikos Komotini 3 - 0 Niki Volou 14:00 Panaitolikos ? - ? Asteras Tripolis 16:15 PAS Giannina ? - ? Panionios 18:30 Olympiakos ? - ? Ergotelis
Turkey - Super Lig February 14
12:30 Karabukspor ? - ? Kasimpasa 15:00 Akhisar Belediye Gencli... ? - ? Erciyesspor 18:00 Gaziantepspor ? - ? Fenerbahce
Turkey - 1st Lig February 14
13:00 Elazigspor ? - ? Sanliurfaspor 17:30 MP Antalyaspor ? - ? Orduspor
Wales - Premier League February 14
15:30 Airbus UK Broughton ? - ? Aberystwyth 15:30 Connahs Quay ? - ? Rhyl 15:30 Newtown ? - ? TNS 15:30 Port Talbot ? - ? Bala Town 15:30 Prestatyn Town FC ? - ? Carmarthen
Northern Ireland - Premiership February 14
16:00 Ballinamallard United ? - ? Coleraine 16:00 Ballymena United ? - ? Institute 16:00 Crusaders ? - ? Warrenpoint Town
16:00 Dungannon Swifts ? - ? Linfield 16:00 Glentoran ? - ? Glenavon 16:00 Portadown ? - ? Cliftonville
Cyprus - 1st League February 14
16:00 Doxa Katokopia ? - ? APOEL Nicosia 17:00 Ethnikos Achnas ? - ? Anorthosis 17:00 Nea Salamis ? - ? AEK Larnaca
Poland - Ekstraklasa February 14
15:30 GKS Belchatow ? - ? Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Bi... 15:30 Ruch Chorzow ? - ? Piast Gliwice 18:00 Pogon Szczecin ? - ? Lech Poznan
Croatia - 1st League February 14
15:00 Osijek ? - ? RNK Split 17:00 NK Zagreb ? - ? NK Lokomotiva
Israel - Ligat HaAl February 14
16:30 Maccabi Haifa ? - ? Ashdod SC
17:00 Hapoel Ironi Akko ? - ? Maccabi Petach Tikva 17:00 Hapoel Petach Tikva ? - ? Hapoel Haifa 18:00 Hapoel Raanana ? - ? Maccabi Netanya 18:20 Hapoel Beer Sheva ? - ? Hapoel Tel Aviv
Argentina - Primera Division February 14
01:10 Racing Club ? - ? Rosario Central 21:00 Gimnasia LP ? - ? Defensa y Justicia 21:00 San Lorenzo ? - ? Colon 23:15 Godoy Cruz ? - ? San Martin San Juan
Argentina - Primera B Nacional February 14
01:10 Sportivo Belgrano ? - ? Chacarita Juniors 01:30 Gimnasia Jujuy ? - ? Independiente Rivadavia 02:00 Central Cordoba de San... ? - ? Villa Dalmine
23:15 All Boys ? - ? Patronato de Parana
Argentina - Primera B Metropolitana February 14
21:00 Barracas Central ? - ? Acassuso 21:00 Deportivo Armenio ? - ? Comunicaciones
21:00 Sportivo Italiano ? - ? Colegiales 21:00 Tristan Suarez ? - ? CD UAI Urquiza 21:05 CA Defensores de Belgr... ? - ? Deportivo Riestra 23:30 Deportivo Moron ? - ? Deportivo Merlo
Brazil - Paulista A1 February 14
20:00 Corinthians ? - ? Botafogo SP 20:00 Sao Bernardo ? - ? Santos FC 21:30 Bragantino ? - ? Sao Paulo 22:30 Sao Bento ? - ? Palmeiras
Bolivia - Primera Division:: clausura February 14
01:00 The Strongest ? - ? San Jose
Chile - Primera:: clausura February 14
01:00 Universidad de Chile ? - ? Union Espanola 20:00 Antofagasta ? - ? Colo Colo 22:30 Union La Calera ? - ? Universidad de Concepc...
Colombia - Primera A:: apertura February 14
20:00 La Equidad ? - ? Aguilas Pereira 22:00 Alianza Petrolera ? - ? Santa Fe 23:00 Envigado ? - ? Atletico Nacional
Ecuador - Serie A:: apertura February 14
01:00 Deportivo Quito ? - ? Deportivo Cuenca 01:30 Liga de Loja ? - ? Emelec 22:30 River Plate ? - ? El Nacional
Paraguay - Division Profesional:: apertura February 14
00:10 Deportivo Santani ? - ? Libertad 22:00 Sol de America ? - ? Sportivo San Lorenzo 22:30 Luqueno ? - ? Cerro Porteno 23:15 Rubio Nu ? - ? Nacional
Peru - Copa Inca:: group A February 14
21:00 Deportivo Municipal ? - ? Juan Aurich 23:30 FBC Melgar ? - ? Sporting Cristal
Peru - Copa Inca:: group C February 14
18:30 Union Comercio ? - ? Ayacucho FC
Uruguay - Primera División:: clausura February 14
20:30 Cerro ? - ? Penarol 20:30 El Tanque Sisley ? - ? Montevideo Wanderers
20:30 River Plate FC ? - ? Atenas 20:30 Sud America ? - ? Racing
Venezuela - Liga Movistar:: clausura February 14
Postp. Zamora FC ? - ? Aragua FC
Mexico - Primera Division:: clausura February 14
02:30 Queretaro FC ? - ? Cruz Azul 04:30 Tijuana ? - ? Pumas
Costa Rica - Primera División:: clausura February 14
22:00 Belen Siglo XXI ? - ? Limon
Guatemala - Liga Nacional:: clausura February 14
23:00 CSD Comunicaciones ? - ? Antigua Guatemala
Honduras - Liga Nacional:: clausura February 14
02:00 Honduras Progreso ? - ? CD Real Sociedad
China - Super Cup February 14
09:00 Guangzhou Evergrande ? - ? Shandong Luneng
Thailand - Premier League February 14
12:00 BEC Tero Sasana ? - ? Chiangrai United 12:00 Ratchaburi FC ? - ? TOT
13:00 Buriram United ? - ? Port FC 14:00 Army United ? - ? Siam Navy FC
Vietnam - V-League February 14
10:30 Dong Tam Long An ? - ? Da Nang
10:30 QNK Quang Nam ? - ? Song Lam Nghe An 11:00 Hai Phong ? - ? Than Quang Ninh
Iran - Pro League February 14
13:00 Zob Ahan ? - ? Esteghlal Khuzestan
Australia - Hyundai A-League February 14
05:00 Wellington Phoenix ? - ? Melbourne City FC 07:00 Newcastle Jets ? - ? Western Sydney Wander... 09:30 Sydney FC ? - ? Melbourne Victory
Africa - Champions League:: qualification preliminary round February 14
18:30 Kaizer Chiefs ? - ? Township Rollers
Algeria - Ligue 1 February 14
15:00 ES Setif ? - ? JS Saoura 15:00 RC Arbaa ? - ? USM Bel Abbes 16:00 CS Constantine ? - ? MC Oran
Egypt - Premier League February 14
Postp. Alaab Damanhour ? - ? Al Masry Postp. Al Mokawloon Al Arab ? - ? El Hodood
Morocco - Botola Pro February 14
15:30 KACM ? - ? MAS Fes
16:00 Chabab Atlas Khenifra ? - ? Hassania Agadir
South Africa - Premier League February 14
14:30 Chippa United ? - ? Maritzburg United 14:30 Free State Stars ? - ? University of Pretoria
14:30 Mpumalanga Black Aces ? - ? SuperSport United 14:30 Platinum Stars ? - ? Orlando Pirates 19:15 Polokwane City ? - ? Moroka Swallows
Tunisia - Ligue I February 14
14:00 Avenir de La Marsa ? - ? Sportive de Djerba 14:00 CS Hammam-Lif ? - ? Esperance 14:00 US Monastir ? - ? CA Bizertin

LFC announce NIVEA MEN partnership

Liverpool FC today announced NIVEA MEN as the club's official men's grooming partner,
which sees the world's No.1 men's skincare brand break into the Barclays Premier
League.
The multi-year partnership with NIVEA MEN, part of Beiersdorf Ltd, expands on its
successful involvement with football, with particular focus on the United Kingdom, Sweden,
Finland, Denmark and Norway.
"NIVEA MEN is one of the most recognised skincare names across the globe and we are
delighted the brand has chosen to partner with Liverpool FC as it enters the world's most
exciting football league," said Billy Hogan, chief commercial officer at Liverpool.
"We're thrilled to welcome our very first grooming partner to the LFC family and we look
forward to some exciting campaigns over the coming years."
To launch the partnership, Reds stars Jordan Henderson, Simon Mignolet and Raheem
Sterling feature in a NIVEA MEN television commercial which airs for the first time on
Friday February 13 on Channel 4.
Andreas Ostermayr, northern European general manager at Beiersdorf Ltd, said: "We're
delighted to be partnering with Liverpool FC, one of the world's most successful football
clubs.
"Liverpool FC represents passion, quality and integrity - values shared by NIVEA MEN -
and we're excited about the prospect of creating a memorable marketing campaign over
the coming years with the help of Liverpool FC and its star players, staff and fans."

Alabama official ordered to issue marriage licenses to gay couples

By Jonathan Kaminsky
MOBILE, Ala. (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ordered an Alabama official to start issuing marriage
licenses to gay couples in compliance with an earlier order, but couples in most counties were still unable
to obtain licenses.
U.S. District Judge Callie Granade's order clarified that Mobile County Probate Court Judge Don Davis was
compelled to adhere to her previous ruling striking down the state's gay marriage ban despite a
contravening order from Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore that led many state judges to refrain
from issuing licenses to gay couples.
Granade's directive marked the latest twist in the controversy over gay marriage in Alabama, where
probate judges have faced conflicting orders from federal and state courts. The resulting disarray has
allowed same-sex couples to marry in places such as Birmingham, while those applying for marriage
licenses in dozens of counties have been turned away.
Alabama is the 37th U.S. state where gay marriage has been legalized, and the first in the Deep South,
where many voters are socially conservative.
The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Monday to grant a request from Alabama's Republican attorney
general to keep the weddings on hold until it decides later this year whether laws banning gay matrimony
violate the U.S. Constitution.
But Moore ordered state judges to defy Granade's ruling and uphold the state's gay marriage ban, an
order his office said remained in effect despite the Supreme Court's action.
Granade's order on Thursday applied specifically to Mobile County, where, within an hour of the ruling,
same-sex couples who had been waiting in line at a county building began to receive licenses.
Among those in line was Meredith Miller, 32, who said plans to wed her partner of almost nine years on
Valentine's Day would mean an end to fears of being shut out from making decisions on each other's
behalf in the event of a medical emergency.
"The worry that is always in the back of your mind, the worry that a lot of couples don't ever have to
experience, that is going to go away now," Miller said.
NARROW RULING
Attorneys for four same-sex couples named as plaintiffs in the suit, among them Miller and her partner,
had urged Granade to issue a broad ruling to compel all judges in the state to begin granting marriage
licenses to same-sex couples.
But with the ruling applying narrowly to Davis, none of the judges in the other 43 of Alabama's 67 counties
that have refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples changed course in its immediate
aftermath, gay rights advocates said.
J. Michael Druhan, the lawyer for Davis, whose county is the most populous of those that have refused to
issue the licenses, told Granade during a hearing before her order that the probate judge was stuck
between the conflicting court directives and simply wanted guidance.
Druhan likened Davis, who had kept his office's marriage license operations shuttered since Granade's
earlier ruling went into effect on Monday, to a U.S. soldier frozen to the spot after stepping on a mine in a
Vietnamese paddy field.
"If he stands there and does nothing, the snipers are going to shoot him in the head," he said. "If he
moves, the mine's going to blow him to pieces."
Most legal experts say Alabama's probate judges, who are elected officials in a state that passed a gay
marriage ban in 2006 with 81 percent of the vote, will ultimately have little choice but to follow the federal
court's ruling.
Among those waiting for marriage licenses in Mobile was Mack Douglas, 28, who with his girlfriend was
relieved the office was open for the first time this week.
Douglas said he was raised to believe homosexuality was wrong and it felt a bit awkward to be waiting in
line with so many same-sex couples.
"When everyone was walking over here, I kind of stared off the other way," he said. "I kind of blocked it
out of my mind."
(Editing by Peter Cooney)

'Glimmer of hope' for Ukraine after new ceasefire deal

By Vladimir Soldatkin and Pavel Polityuk
MINSK (Reuters) - Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a deal offering a "glimmer of hope" for
an end to conflict in eastern Ukraine, but the United States and NATO said further intense fighting on
Thursday ran counter to the spirit of the accord.
The agreement, announced after more than 16 hours of discussions in the Belarussian capital Minsk, was
followed swiftly by allegations from Kiev of a new, mass influx of Russian armour into rebel-held eastern
Ukraine.
It calls for a ceasefire between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists starting Sunday, the
withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line and constitutional reform to give eastern Ukraine more
autonomy.
Fighting has intensified in recent days as the rebels try to take control of Debaltseve, a strategic transport
hub that would link the two separatist-controlled areas of eastern Ukraine, where elections are
contemplated under the accord.
The White House, under pressure from Congress to provide arms to the stretched Ukrainian military, said
the deal was "potentially significant" but urged Russia to withdraw soldiers and equipment, and give
Ukraine back control over its border.
"The United States is particularly concerned about the escalation of fighting today, which is inconsistent
with the spirit of the accord," it said in a statement.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that line and told Norwegian news agency NTB: "Russia
must end its support for the separatists and withdraw its forces and military equipment from eastern
Ukraine."
Russia denies arming the rebels and sending troops to fight alongside them, despite what Ukraine and its
Western allies say is overwhelming evidence. The conflict has killed more than 5,000 people since last
April.
Keeping up the pressure on Russia, diplomats said the European Union would go ahead on Monday with a
new round of sanctions against 19 Ukrainian separatists and Russians, regardless of the new ceasefire.
The asset freezes and travel bans, the latest in a long series of sanctions by the EU and United States,
have piled intense economic pressure on Russia's energy-exporting economy, which has also been hit by a
halving of world oil prices since last June.
After an EU summit in Brussels, the leaders of Germany, France and the European Council said wider
sanctions were possible if Russia violated the ceasefire agreement.
U.S. officials also said they were not taking sanctions off the table and bluntly warned the separatists
against seizing more land before Sunday's ceasefire formally takes effect.
"We are trying to send the message as strongly as we can that any effort to grab more land between now
and Saturday night ... will seriously undercut this agreement," a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition
of anonymity told reporters in Washington.
"TOUGH AND EMOTIONAL"
The Minsk talks were the culmination of a dramatic initiative by France and Germany following an upsurge
in fighting in which the separatists tore through an earlier ceasefire line agreed to last September.
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of prolonging the negotiations, which seemed close to
failure at several points.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko "did everything to achieve the
possibility of an end to the bloodshed." She said Putin put pressure on the rebels to agree to the truce
"towards the end" of the talks.
"This is a glimmer of hope, no more no less," Merkel told reporters on arriving, straight from the talks in
Minsk, at a European Union summit in Brussels. "It is very important that words are followed by actions."
Russia's RIA news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying the talks were "tough and
very emotional."
The accord could delay the imposition of new sanctions against Moscow, although the U.S. State
Department said it had not taken any options off the table. Secretary of State John Kerry said sanctions
could be eased if it were implemented.
Fighting has surged in the past few weeks with more than 70 Ukrainian servicemen and at least 24
civilians killed so far this month, according to Reuters calculations based on official Ukrainian figures.
A Ukrainian military spokesman said about 50 tanks, 40 missile systems and 40 armoured vehicles had
crossed overnight into eastern Ukraine from Russia. It was not immediately possible to verify the figures,
which were higher than in previous such statements. Moscow dismisses them as groundless.
NATO has said there is overwhelming evidence of Russian armour entering Ukraine but declined to
comment on the latest report.
"The intensity of fighting is evidenced by a sharp increase in the number of people trying to leave front-line
towns," spokesman Andriy Lysenko said in a daily briefing held on Thursday before the deal was
announced.
Rebel fighters accuse Kiev of shelling civilian areas, an accusation the Ukrainian military rejects.
The fighting has destabilised Ukraine militarily and economically. As the deal was reached, Ukraine was
offered a $40 billion lifeline by the International Monetary Fund to stave off financial collapse.
Russia's economy has also suffered, from the sanctions imposed for its support for the separatists in
eastern Ukraine and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region last year. Russian shares surged on Thursday
after the deal was announced and the rouble gained but then slipped back.
WEAPONS WITHDRAWAL
The agreement addressed some of the main stumbling points, including a "demarcation line" between
separatists and Ukrainian forces, which the rebels wanted to reflect gains from a recent offensive that
shredded an earlier ceasefire deal.
The compromise was that the rebels will withdraw weapons from a line set by the earlier Minsk agreement
in September, while the Ukrainians will withdraw from the current front line, creating a 50 km (30 mile)-
wide buffer zone.
Ukraine will also get control of its border with Russia, but in consultation with the rebels and only after the
regions gain more autonomy under constitutional reform by the end of 2015.
Kiev has made clear, however, that it will not accept independence for the "People's Republics" the rebels
have declared.
The ceasefire and heavy weapons pullback would be overseen by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, a Europe-wide security body.
French President Francois Hollande, who also took part in the negotiations, said there was still much work
to be done on the Ukraine crisis, but the agreement was a real chance to improve the situation. "The
coming hours will be decisive," he said later in Brussels.
Pro-Moscow separatists tightened the pressure on Kiev by launching some of the war's worst fighting on
Wednesday, killing 19 Ukrainian soldiers in assaults near the railway town of Debaltseve.
On Thursday, senior rebel commander Eduard Basurin said his side would deliver on the ceasefire but that
in the meantime Ukrainian troops should surrender Debaltseve. He said the separatists were holding
"counter-attack" operations to prevent the soldiers from breaking out.
As the fighting has escalated, Washington has begun openly talking of arming Ukraine to defend itself from
"Russian aggression," raising the prospect of a proxy war between one-time Cold War foes.
As the French and German leaders' peace initiative was announced, pro-Russian rebels appeared
determined to drive home their advantage ahead of a deal. Armoured columns of Russian-speaking
soldiers with no insignia have been advancing for days around Debaltseve, where heavy fighting has
occurred this month.
(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Maria Kiselyova, Pavel Polityuk, Elizabeth Pineau, Polina Devitt,
Aleksandar Vasovic, Alessandra Prentice, Margarita Chornokondatrenko, Gabriela Baczynska, Alexander
Winning, Lidia Kelly, Richard Balmforth, Andrei Makhovsky, Roberta Rampton and Arshad Mohammed;
writing by Giles Elgood, Philippa Fletcher and Mark Trevelyan; editing by Andrew Roche and David Storey)

Obama to encourage companies to share cyber threat data

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on
Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the
government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment.
The order sets the stage for new private-sector led "information sharing and analysis
organizations" (ISAOs) - hubs where companies share cyber threat data with each other and with the
Department of Homeland Security.
It is one step in a long effort to make companies as well as privacy and consumer advocates more
comfortable with proposed legislation that would offer participating companies liability protection, the
White House said.
"We believe that by clearly defining what makes for a good ISAO, that will make tying liability protection to
sectoral organizations easier and more accessible to the public and to privacy and civil liberties
advocates," said Michael Daniel, Obama's cyber coordinator, in a conference call with reporters.
Obama will sign the order at a day-long conference on cybersecurity at Stanford University in the heart of
Silicon Valley.
The move comes as big Silicon Valley companies prove hesitant to fully support more mandated
cybersecurity information sharing without reforms to government surveillance practices exposed by former
National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Cybersecurity industry veterans said Obama's anticipated order would be only a modest step in one of the
president's major priorities - the defense of companies from attacks like those on Sony and Anthem Inc.
Obama has proposed legislation to require more information-sharing and limit any legal liability for
companies that share too much. Only Congress can provide the liability protection through legislation.
Businesses are unlikely to share a lot of timely and "actionable" cyber intelligence without liability relief,
said Mike Brown, a vice president with the RSA security division of EMC Corp.
"Until that gets resolved, probably through legislation, I'm not sure how effective continued information-
sharing will be," said Brown, a retired Naval officer and former cyber official with the Department of
Homeland Security.
Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee, introduced a bill this
week that incorporates much of Obama's plan. But Republicans control Congress, and they have yet to
sign on to the idea.
"This is an urgent matter and we are working with anyone that we can up on the Hill to make that
happen," said Daniel, who had not yet reviewed Carper's bill.
Getting a bill through Congress will require at least the support of big Silicon Valley companies such as
Google Inc and Facebook Inc.
Those companies, however, have refused to give full support to cybersecurity bills without some reform of
surveillance practices exposed by Snowden that have hurt U.S. technology companies' efforts to win
business in other countries.
"Obviously there have been tensions," Daniel told reporters.
"But I think that's the kind of thing where the only way to get at that is to continue to have dialogue and
to continue to engage, and the president has been committed to that," he said.
Google, Facebook and Yahoo are not sending their chief executives to the Stanford conference because of
the rift, according to an executive at a major technology company. Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook will
give an address.
Obama also will meet privately with some executives on Friday. They are expected to press again for
surveillance reform and support for strong encryption, which some in the administration have faulted
recently on the grounds that it enables criminals and terrorists to hide their activity.
Big technology companies and a host of startups have been beefing up encryption in Snowden's wake to
make blanket intelligence collection overseas more difficult.
(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton and Jim Finkle; Editing by Andrew Hay and Sandra Maler)