Ukraine: President Viktor F. Yanukovych today agreed to restore the Ukraine constitution and call elections by the end of the year. In an agreement that could defuse the country’s crisis, Yanukovych promised not to declare a state of emergency or resort to further violence.

 Within hours Ukraine’s parliament voted to restore the 2004 constitution that limits presidential powers, taking back some of the powers Yanukovych created for himself after his 2010 election.

Kiev appears calm today, but protesters are rebuilding their barricades after a day of violence that left at least 70 people dead and hundreds wounded by gunfire. Ukrainian television showed video of protesters dropping to the street as they were shot.

The European Union yesterday decided to impose sanctions directly on the Ukraine officials “responsible for violence and excessive force” in battling political protesters. The sanctions include freezing assets and travel bans. The EU made its move after the Ukraine government broke a brief truce resulting in the worst violence in months of confrontations. The EU statement said, “No circumstances can justify the repression we are currently witnessing.”

Nation: New York City will pay $6.4 million to a man who spent 23 years in prison after being framed for murder by a city detective. David Ranta had filed a 150 million claim, but it was settled by the city comptroller’s office in a unique resolution that avoided trial. Ranta was put away by former Det. Louis Scarcella, once considered an investigative miracle worker who is now accused of inventing confessions and coercing witnesses.

Sochi: All the following results have already appeared on television.

–The judging of the judging has begun after an upset in women’s figure skating. Adelina Sotnikova, 17, despite stumbling, edged South Korea’s Kim Yu-na to become the first Russian woman to win a gold medal in women’s singles ice skating. The favorite, Kim, despite a near flawless performance, was edged out in her attempt to win a second gold. More than 800,000 South Koreans signed an online petition demanding an investigation. Two-time gold medalist Katarina Witt joined the debate saying, “I am stunned by this result, I don’t understand the scoring.”

America’s Gracie Gold finished fourth and Ashley Wagner, seventh.

-Canada scored on a penalty in overtime to win the women’s hockey title 3-2. The Americans were looking certain to win until the final four minutes but Canada tied it up. The US incurred a second concurrent penalty minutes into overtime when a player tripped a Canadian on a breakaway. Canada’s powerplay picked apart the remaining three Americans for the win. The American men face off against Canada today.

-Maddie Bowman, a high school senior from Salt Lake, won the inaugural women’s halfpipe skiing event.

Art Critic: A member of the cleaning crew at a Southern Italian museum threw away parts of an art installation she thought were trash left by the installation crew. The work by artist Sala Murat included pieces of newspaper, cardboard, and crumbled cookies scattered on the floor. The cleaning woman picked them up and threw them away. Her boss said she was just doing her job. She was the installation’s first critic.

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