A new push for peace in Ukraine moves to Moscow on Friday when France’s President Hollande and Germany’s Chancellor Merkel meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin for discussions “on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

On Thursday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who in response to a question at the joint press conference, said:

We are not fighting so-called rebels or guerrillas. We are fighting with the Russian regular army. It is crystal clear that (the) Russian military is on the ground.  If people cannot see, I can give them my glasses

Yatsenyuk offers his glasses – (image: Pool/CNN)

With the situation on the ground worsening, diplomatic efforts are moving into a crucial phase, with Chancellor Merkel heading to Washington next week as US officials continue to keep all options open, including direct military assistance to Kiev.

Meanwhile, a 2008 Pentagon study apparently indicated that President Putin suffers from Aspergers syndrome, USA Today reported.

* WORLD * House Speaker John Boehner expects the White House to send Congress a new Authorization for Military Force against Islamic State in the next few days. On Thursday, Jordan carried out airstrikes against the Syrian town of Raqaa – the de facto capital of IS.

Testimony by convicted Al Qaeda member Zacharias Moussaoui has renewed pressure for the publication of part of the 9/11 Commission’s  conclusions that have remained classified – the so-called 28 Pages.

As the Greek parliament convened for the first time since election victory for the anti-austerity party Syriza, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said it was time for Greece and Europe to both “turn the page” and insisted his party would not back down from their election pledge to renegotiate the country’s bailout. Earlier, however, the Greek and German finance ministers had clashed over next steps.

Far-right “anti-Islamisation” group Pegida, which has built up a public following in Germany recently, is planning to hold its first rally in the UK. the gathering is planned for Newcastle on February 28.

The US is hoping Cuba will restore diplomatic ties and allow it to open an embassy in Havana before April, Reuters reports.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott faces a challenge to his leadership from within his Liberal Party and has said he is determined to defeat the motion, to be heard next Tuesday. The Age argues how Abbott’s errors cost him the support of his colleagues.

Pope Francis will become the first Pope to address a joint session of Congress, when he speaks to lawmakers during his appearance in Washington on September 24, part of his first papal visit to the US. Earlier, the Pontiff had apparently said spanking one’s kids was ok, “if their dignity is kept.”

* POLITICS * Potentially, there are now apparently 21 realistic Republican candidates according to UVa’s resident guru Larry Sabato, whose latest ranking shuffles the pack to reveal a new top tier.

Amid the early jostling, though, Gov Chis Christie can’t seem to catch a break this week. After revelations about his lavish travel arrangements and some mis-steps over the vaccination issue, now the International Business Times reports that his administration is the “target of a new federal criminal probe”.

* BUSINESS *  According to a new report by McKinsey, global debt has risen by $57trillion just since the financial crisis. The Upshot explains why that’s scary. The Economist says the world isn’t kicking the habit, but there are structural hurdles:

The key to bringing down a high debt ratio is rapid economic growth, which the developed world has struggled to bring about. Keynesians would say that this failure reflects an excessive focus on public-sector austerity, but demography is also a constraint, and a lasting one: workforces in many developed countries are stagnant or shrinking.

Eighty million customers of health insurer Anthem had their personal data compromised in a massive security breach, the company said. Here’s what to do right now, if you’re one of them; via Bloomberg.

* MEDIA * Amy Pascal stepped down as co-chairman of Sony Pictures in the wake of the massive cyberattack three months ago, which left the company and top employees exposed both commercially and personally.

NBC’s #1-rated evening anchor Brian Williams’ on-air apology hasn’t put his “misremembering” issue to rest. Rem Rieder at USA Today calls the situation an “unmitigated disaster.” On CNN, Brian Stelter looks at the timeline of how Williams’ story has changed.

After Fox News decided to air the video of the brutal murder of the Jordanian pilot, the network’s own media critic Howard Kurtz said he disagreed with the decision.

At GQ, Michael Wolff looks at the race to succeed Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger and handicaps those in the running for what he calls the “poisoned chalice”.

* SPORT * The second semi-final in the African Cup of Nations was reduced to “chaos” and “a war zone”, as fans fought with police and each other. Play was suspended for 30 minutes while police used a helicopter to try to control the crowd. In the end, Ghana defeated Equatorial Guinea 3-0 and will play Ivory Coast in Sunday’s final.

Thursday was Cristiano Ronaldo’s thirtieth birthday. Love him or loathe him, you can always let him demolish your self-esteem by calculating how long it would take him to make your salary.. (hint – not long at all, really).

This year’s Six Nations rugby tournament kicks off on Friday when England travel to Cardiff to play Wales. Defending champions Ireland start their campaign on Saturday in Rome against Italy, and the whole thing wraps up with – hopefully – a nailbiting final day on March 21st.

Now that’s a selfie – image: ITV