Top diplomats seek Ukraine solution in Paris talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has begun talks with counterparts from the US and key EU states to try to resolve the crisis in Ukraine.
The US wants independent observers in the flashpoint region of Crimea and direct talks between Kiev and Moscow, according to a news agency.
Russia is likely to call for greater representation for Ukraine's Russian-speaking areas in the Kiev government.
The EU earlier offered 11bn euros ($15bn; £9bn) of aid to Ukraine and froze the assets of 18 Ukrainians.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the package of loans and grants over the next couple of years was "designed to assist a committed, inclusive and reforms-oriented government" in Kiev. Ukraine's finance ministry has predicted it needs $35bn to rescue the economy.