Ukraine: An agreement to cool the Ukraine crisis, including the withdrawal of armed protesters occupying government buildings, has been reached between the US, Russia, Ukraine and European countries. A joint statement says, “All illegal armed groups must be disarmed; all illegally seized buildings must be returned to legitimate owners; all illegally occupied streets, squares and other public places in Ukrainian cities and towns must be vacated.”

  So far today, pro-Russians occupying buildings in 10 Eastern Ukraine cities have refused to go.

Secy. of State John Kerry cautioned that, “We fully expect the Russians, as they said they would here today, to demonstrate their seriousness by insisting that pro-Russian separatists, who they’ve been supporting, lay down their arms, leave the buildings, and pursue their political objectives through the constitutional processes that the agreement guarantees.” President Obama expressed skepticism saying, “I don’t think we can be sure of anything at this point.”

Everest: Twelve Nepalese guides are dead and four are missing after an avalanche on Mt. Everest. It’s believed to be the single worst fatal accident in the history of Everest. The party of guides had set out to fix ropes for other climbers when they were hit at about 6:30 am. It happened at about 6,000 feet in a part of the route known as “the popcorn field” because of its huge chunks of ice.

Earthquake: A 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck this morning 165 miles south of Mexico City and northwest of Acapulco. So far there are no reports of damage.

Ferry Disaster: Prosecutors have filed an arrest warrant against the captain of the sunken South Korean ferry, accusing him of deserting the ship. Unconfirmed reports say the captain was one of the first people rescued. The South Korean government says it has not given up hope of finding survivors inside the hull of the overturned ferry, which has now slipped completely below the surface. Divers are working frantically in heavy weather and strong currents to get inside the ship. Rescuers have pumped air inside and tapped on the hull, but so far no one has been pulled out alive.

Obamacare: President Obama said yesterday that young people have helped push healthcare signups past eight million. The President said that 35 percent of people who have signed up are under age 35 and that premiums have come in 15 percent lower than projected. The President told reporters, “This thing is working.”

The Obit Page: Gabriel Garcia Marquez, the Columbian novelist who wrote the magical realist novel “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, has died at age 87. Garcia was one of the creators of magical realism in which myth and imagination collide with reality. “100 Years” sold at least 20 million copies around the world. In his tales, dictators live for centuries, storms rage for years, and lovers transcend time. Much of it was the product of South America’s troubled history. Accepting the Nobel, Garcia Marquez said about his works, “our crucial problem has been a lack of conventional means to render our lives believable.”

Dynasty: Chelsea Clinton has announced that she and her husband Marc Mezvinsky are expecting a baby later this year.

Sugar Coated: General Mills issued a clarification to the NY Times about its new lawsuit and arbitration policy saying, “No one is precluded from suing us merely by purchasing our products at the store or liking one of our brand Facebook pages.” But if you find a rat in the cereal you bought with a coupon downloaded from the company website, it’s arbitration for you.

Stellar Report: The most earth-like planet yet discovered by the Kepler telescope has been reported in the journal Science. The planet Kepler 186f is 10 percent larger than earth and orbits a dwarf star in what’s known as the “habitable zone” in which liquid water could be present and life as we know it is possible. Don’t expect to visit. It’s 500 light years from earth.

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