Putin Signs Crimea Annexation As Russia Warned

Vladimir Putin has completed legislation for taking control of Crimea, as David Cameron warned Russia it faces international isolation and tighter sanctions over the move.

As the Russian President signed the final annexation document in a Kremlin ceremony broadcast live on state television, Mr Cameron and other EU leaders imposed sanctions on 12 more people to punish Moscow for its takeover of the Ukrainian territory.

The EU also agreed to step up moves to reduce the bloc's reliance on Russian energy. Mr Cameron said EU members needed to do more to develop their own reserves, as well as their ability to use gas from overseas producers, including the US. 

Moscow celebrates the annexation of Crimea with a fireworks display

The Prime Minister said: "Our message to Russia is clear: choose the path to diplomacy and de-escalation or face increasing isolation and tighter and tighter sanctions.

"It was very important that the European democracies represented here should send a strong and united message that Russia should face further consequences, and that is what we have done.

"We have subjected 12 more individuals to travel bans and asset freezes, bringing the total to 33. We have cancelled the EU-Russia summit, agreed not to hold bilateral summits and we'll block Russian membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Energy Agency.

"We have agreed to rapidly implement economic, trade and financial restrictions on occupied Crimea. We will only accept Crimean goods in the EU if they come from the Ukraine and not Russia."

Mr Cameron also refused to rule out further sanctions against several oligarchs, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Pro-Russia supporters celebrate the annexation in Simferopol, Crimea

Beyond punishing Russia, the EU leaders also showed backing for Ukraine by signing an agreement which aligns the new administration in Kiev more firmly with Europe.

It came as the White House announced US President Barack would be embarking on a six-day trip to Europe on Monday, including The Hague for a nuclear security summit and a meeting of the G7, then to Brussels for a summit of European leaders and a meeting with the NATO secretary general.

He will also be going to Rome and the Vatican to meet Pope Francis, before leaving the continent to head to Saudi Arabia.

US National Security Adviser Susan Rice said: "What will be clear for the entire world to see is that Russia is increasingly isolated and the United States is leading the international community in supporting the government of Ukraine and the people of Ukraine and the imposing costs on Russia."

The EU measures come a day after the US decided to slap sanctions on Mr Putin's inner circle of money men and security officials.

Russia was accused by Ukraine of invading Crimea during recent unrest

US President Barack Obama said 20 individuals linked to the Russian government and a bank - Bank Rossiya - supporting those individuals would be targeted.

Moscow immediately responded by banning nine US officials and politicians from entering Russia. It has yet to take retaliatory action against the EU.

On Friday morning, Mr Putin mocked the planned Western sanctions against his country over its annexation of Crimea.

He was reported to have claimed he planned to open a bank account at the sanction-hit bank and steer clear of allies on a list of people facing sanctions as they were "compromising us".

The Russian takeover of the Black Sea peninsula has been largely bloodless, though one Ukrainian serviceman was killed and two others wounded in a shooting earlier this week.

But Ukraine's Acting President has vowed that the country will never accept Russia's seizure of Crimea.

Russia and other members of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have agreed to send a six-month monitoring mission to Ukraine.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pope Tells Mafia: Repent Or Prepare For Hell

Pope Francis has warned members of the mafia that they will go to hell if they do not repent and renounce evil.

Speaking at a prayer vigil for relatives of victims of organised crime, the Pontiff said: "The power, the money, that you have now coming from so many dirty businesses, so many Mafiosi crimes, it's blood-stained money, blood-stained power, you can't bring it with you to your next life. Repent.

"There's still time to not end up in hell, which is what awaits you if you continue on this path."

His appearance marked the first time a pope has attended the annual event - now in its 19th year - which is held on the first day of spring.

At the vigil held in Rome's San Gregorio church, Francis met around 900 relatives of people murdered by the mafia.

After expressing his solidarity with the family members, he said that he could not leave the service without speaking to those not present: the "protagonists" of mafia violence.

The Pope shakes hands with victims' families as he leaves the church

"I feel that I cannot finish without addressing those who are greatly absent today, the protagonists who are not here, the men and women who are part of the mafia. Please, change your lifestyle, convert, stop doing evil," he said.

"Convert, you still have time not to end up in hell, that is what awaits you if you continue on this path. You too had a father and a mother, think of them, cry a little and convert."

The brutality of Italy's gangsters was highlighted this week following the death of Domenico Petruzzelli, a two-year-old killed along with his mother and her companion in a suspected mob hit in the southern city of Taranto in which assailants opened fire on their car. 

In January, after the charred body of a three-year-old boy was found in a burned car alongside his grandfather and another woman, Francis urged the suspected mafia killers to "repent and convert to the Lord".

The Pope has spoken out frequently about the evils of corruption, and wrote a short booklet on corruption and sin in 2005 when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

US-Russia Spat: Faces At The Heart Of The Feud

The fresh wave of US sanctions against Russia include banning some of the country's richest and most influential businessmen - and President Vladimir Putin's closest friends - from entering America.

Among the individuals targeted with and travel bans and freezing of US assets are billionaire brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

The co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group, a major supplier of construction services to Russian gas giant Gazprom, were judo sparring partners with Mr Putin.

The pair - friends of Mr Putin since childhood - also made billions in Sochi Olympics-related contracts.

Financier Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is a personal banker for senior Russian officials - including, reportedly, Mr Putin. He is another close friend - and a neighbour - of the president.

They have known each other since the early 1990s when Mr Kovalchuk was deputy mayor of St Petersburg.

The bank - also on the hit list - serves some of the country's wealthiest officials and controls two big insurance firms - Sogas and SK Transneft.

Russian businessman Gennady Timchenko

High-level Kremlin officials including Mr Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and deputy chief of staff Alexei Gromov are also targeted, as well as Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways and a close confidant of the president.

Gennady Timchenko, a prominent businessman and owner of the private investment group, Volga Group, which specialises in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets is also named by the US.

President Putin's spokesman said some of the names on the list caused "nothing but extreme bewilderment" - and Russia immediately responded with its own list of sanctions on American officials.

These included Obama aides Caroline Atkinson (deputy assistant and deputy national security adviser for international economics), Daniel Pfeiffer (senior adviser and assistant ), and Benjamin Rhodes (assistant and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting), as well as senators Mary Landrieu, John McCain and Daniel Coats.

Mr McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr Putin have long been engaged in a bitter personal feud.

During their last war of words in September 2013, the US senator accused Mr Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for a Russian website in response to a letter Mr Putin wrote in The New York Times, urging America not to use military force in Syria.

White House staff Daniel Pfeiffer and Caroline Atkinson

In an opinion piece headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin", Mr McCain also accused the president of being "a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed" for siding with Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

Back in December 2011, Mr Putin let his views be known on Mr McCain after the US politician tweeted "Dear Vlad, The #ArabSpring is coming to a neighbourhood near you" at a time of huge protests across Moscow.

When pressed about the tweet during a televised phone-in, the Russian president hit back, calling the senator "nuts".

"Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore," he said.

Mr Putin added: "Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House John Boehner, also on the Russian list, called Mr Putin a "thug" over its actions in Crimea, according to The Enquirer.

The Republican told the Cincinnati newspaper it was "time to stand up to Putin", adding: "At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point."

He, and Senators Landrieu, McCain and Coats hailed their inclusion on the Russian list as a "badge of honour", while the White House refused to comment.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Crisis: EU Sanctions For More Russians

Faces Caught In The Middle Of US-Russia Spat

Updated: 8:45pm UK, Thursday 20 March 2014

The fresh wave of US sanctions against Russia include banning some of the country's richest and most influential businessmen - and President Vladimir Putin's closest friends - from entering America.

Among the individuals targeted with and travel bans and freezing of US assets are billionaire brothers Arkady and Boris Rotenberg.

The co-owners of SMP Bank and SGM Group, a major supplier of construction services to Russian gas giant Gazprom, were judo sparring partners with Mr Putin.

The pair - friends of Mr Putin since childhood - also made billions in Sochi Olympics-related contracts.

Financier Yuri Kovalchuk, the largest shareholder of Bank Rossiya, is a personal banker for senior Russian officials - including, reportedly, Mr Putin. He is another close friend - and a neighbour - of the president.

They have known each other since the early 1990s when Mr Kovalchuk was deputy mayor of St Petersburg.

The bank - also on the hit list - serves some of the country's wealthiest officials and controls two big insurance firms - Sogas and SK Transneft.

High-level Kremlin officials including Mr Putin's chief of staff Sergei Ivanov and deputy chief of staff Alexei Gromov are also targeted, as well as Vladimir Yakunin, chairman of the board of the Russian state-owned company Russian Railways and a close confidant of the president.

Gennady Timchenko, a prominent businessman and owner of the private investment group, Volga Group, which specialises in investments in energy, transport and infrastructure assets is also named by the US.

President Putin's spokesman said some of the names on the list caused "nothing but extreme bewilderment" - and Russia immediately responded with its own list of sanctions on American officials.

These included Obama aides Caroline Atkinson (deputy assistant and deputy national security adviser for international economics), Daniel Pfeiffer (senior adviser and assistant ), and Benjamin Rhodes (assistant and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speechwriting), as well as senators Mary Landrieu, John McCain and Daniel Coats.

Mr McCain, the former Republican presidential candidate, and Mr Putin have long been engaged in a bitter personal feud.

During their last war of words in September 2013, the US senator accused Mr Putin of corruption, repression and self-serving rule in an opinion piece for a Russian website in response to a letter Mr Putin wrote in The New York Times, urging America not to use military force in Syria.

In an opinion piece headlined "Russians Deserve Better Than Putin", Mr McCain also accused the president of being "a friend to tyrants and an enemy to the oppressed" for siding with Syria's President Bashar al Assad.

Back in December 2011, Mr Putin let his views be known on Mr McCain after the US politician tweeted "Dear Vlad, The #ArabSpring is coming to a neighbourhood near you" at a time of huge protests across Moscow.

When pressed about the tweet during a televised phone-in, the Russian president hit back, calling the senator "nuts".

"Mr McCain fought in Vietnam. I think he has enough blood of peaceful citizens on his hands. It must be impossible for him to live without these disgusting scenes anymore," he said.

Mr Putin added: "Mr McCain was captured and they kept him not just in prison, but in a pit for several years. Anyone [in his place] would go nuts."

Earlier this month, Speaker of the House John Boehner, also on the Russian list, called Mr Putin a "thug" over its actions in Crimea, according to The Enquirer.

The Republican told the Cincinnati newspaper it was "time to stand up to Putin", adding: "At what point do you say enough is enough? We are at that point."

He, and Senators Landrieu, McCain and Coats hailed their inclusion on the Russian list as a "badge of honour", while the White House refused to comment.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Moves to Pull Troops Out Of Crimea

Plans to withdraw Ukrainian troops from the Crimea are being drawn up by the Kiev government after pro-Russian forces tightened their grip on the region.

The move to pull-out the heavily outnumbered service personnel stranded on the peninsula followed the seizing of military bases, including the Ukrainian navy's headquarters in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol.

In the seemingly tense but peaceful takeover by militia backed by masked gunmen, the commander of the Ukrainian navy, Admiral Sergei Haiduk, was detained by troops thought to be Russian special forces.

Authorities in Kiev have demanded Crimea's pro-Moscow leaders release him or face "an adequate response".

In other developments, Ukraine is to introduce visas for Russians visiting the country, and announced it is to hold joint military exercises with the US and UK.

Armed troops - believed to be Russian servicemen - guard the naval base

It is also quitting a Russian-dominated alliance of former Soviet nations.

At the same time, President Barack Obama has ruled out US military involvement in Ukraine, and instead stressed the diplomatic pressure that could be brought to bear.

Joe Biden's mission to Eastern Europe aimed to reassure US allies

He told American TV: "We are not going to be getting into a military excursion in Ukraine.

"There is a better path, but I think even the Ukrainians would acknowledge that for us to engage Russia militarily would not be appropriate and would not be good for Ukraine either."

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has warned it will respond "in kind" to US sanctions, and in a new worrying escalation to the tense stand-off, Moscow said it may change its stance in the Iranian nuclear talks.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is reported as saying Russia did not want to use the nuclear negotiations to "raise stakes", but may have to do so in response to the actions by the US and European Union.

The statement is the most serious threat of retaliation by Moscow after the West announced sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.

Tensions in the region remain high after troops stormed an army base in the Crimean capital Simferopol on Tuesday, killing a Ukrainian soldier.

Crimea has voted in a referendum to break away from Ukraine and join Russia.

President Vladimir Putin signed a treaty to annex the peninsula to Russia, and other states in the region have been looking warily at the escalating crisis.

Ukrainians leaving the base were cheered by people waving Russian flags

Issuing a warning to Moscow, US Vice President Joe Biden said, during a trip to Lithuania, that the US will respond to any aggression against its Nato allies.

"Russia cannot escape the fact that the world is changing and rejecting outright their behaviour," Mr Biden said, after meeting the leaders of Lithuania and Latvia.

The Baltic states, unlike Ukraine, are Nato members.

Nato's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's intervention in Ukraine posed the most serious threat to Europe's security since the end of the Cold War, and warned Moscow it faced international isolation.

And UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is heading to Russia and Ukraine to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

A Ukrainian naval officer leaves his base in Sevastopol

Mr Ban will meet with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday, and with Ukraine's interim leaders in Kiev on Friday.

But in the divided east of Ukraine, masked members of a pro-Russian self-defence unit manned checkpoints at entrances to Donetsk to protect the city from "Western forces".

Russia has also announced it is to pay off Crimea's estimated budget deficit, put at an estimated £900m.

And Mr Putin announced plans to build a rail and road bridge from Crimea to southern Russia, and so avoiding the need to go through mainland Ukraine.

At the same time, a US guided-missile destroyer the USS Truxtun started a one-day military exercise in the Black Sea with the Bulgarian and Romanian navy and the Russian military launched large-scale aviation exercises in western regions.

Leading members of the US Congress are also demanding that international observers are sent to eastern and southern Ukraine.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: 'Objects May Be MH370 Debris'

Two objects possibly related to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been spotted, the Australian Prime Minister has said.

Tony Abbott said potential debris from the Boeing 777 had been spotted on satellite imagery.

A Royal Australian Air Force jet and three further aircraft have been "tasked with a more intensive follow-up search", he said in a statement to MPs.

Mr Abbott described the reported sighting as "credible" and a "potentially important development".

But he warned: "The task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult and it may turn out they are not related to search for MH370."

The search for the missing plane has been focussed on two specific corridors - one stretching north towards central Asia and the other extending towards the southern reaches of the Indian Ocean.

Investigators believe someone on board intentionally switched off two vital pieces of communication equipment and deliberately diverted the aircraft, potentially taking it thousands of miles from its scheduled flight path.

Satellite data suggests the plane flew for at least seven hours after it was turned back across Malaysia towards the Strait of Malacca.

Aviation expert Captain Jon Cox told Sky News that if the objects are confirmed as debris from flight MH370, they are likely to include seat cushions and items of baggage that would float for a considerable amount of time.

More follows...

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Putin: West 'Has Crossed A Line On Crimea'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has received a standing ovation in parliament after defending Crimea's breakaway vote to join Moscow.

To regular applause during a televised address to the nation, he pointed out that 82% of Crimea's residents turned out for Sunday's referendum, and more than 96% of them voted to join Russia.

He said the vote was "quite convincing" and was held "in full accordance with democratic procedures and international legal norms".

A Russian military personnel carrier in Simferopol, Crimea

"The (Crimean) issue has a vital importance, a historic importance for all of us," he said.

US Vice President Joe Biden, who has arrived in Poland for a two-day trip through Eastern Europe, dismissed Russia's actions as "nothing more than a land grab".

Staff at a pizza restaurant in Crimea's Simferopol watch Mr Putin's speech

America and its G7 allies - Britain, Germany, Canada, France, Japan and Italy - will gather next week at The Hague to discuss "further steps they may take" against Russia.

Mr Putin said he did not want to "carve up" Ukraine, but said the West had "crossed a line" with its behaviour over the former Soviet country.

Mr Putin said Crimea is of 'vital importance' to Russia

"They are trying to drive us into a corner," he told a joint session of parliament in Moscow.

He also accused the West of hypocrisy, pointing to Kosovo's bloody independence from Serbia, which was backed by the West and opposed by Russia.

People queue to withdraw money from a bank in Crimea

His speech came as he signed a treaty making Crimea officially part of Russia. It coincided with a mass rally, celebrating ties between Russia and Crimea, in Moscow's Red Square.

Mr Putin also thanked Ukraine's soldiers for "not staining themselves in blood in Crimea".

He said the peninsula's future was decided without a shot being fired because it was "practically impossible to fight the will of people."

Joe Biden arrives in Poland for a two-day mission in the region

Western leaders say Crimea's vote was illegal and have imposed travel bans and asset freezes on senior Moscow officials.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Russia's actions "are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe."

After the speech, Mr Putin signed a treaty making Crimea part of Russia

After Mr Putin spoke, British Foreign Secretary William Hague tweeted: "Preparatory work is now underway for a third tier of sanctions, including economic and trade measures."

Members of a Ukrainian self-defence force train near Kiev

Meanwhile, one of Ukraine's top politicians told Sky News his country is ready to fight if Russian soldiers cross the border from Crimea into mainland Ukraine.

Serhiy Taruta, governor of the eastern city of Donetsk, warned: "We're going to have a war. Our people will take up arms and they will protect our country."

Under the Russian treaty, Crimea will ditch Ukraine's currency, the Hryvnia, and adopt the Rouble next month.

It is also due to move time zones - adopting Moscow time, which is two hours ahead of Kiev - on March 30.

The peninsula is also offering Crimean soldiers the chance to join the Russian army.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Soldier Killed As Gunmen Storm Crimea Base

Putin's Deal For Crimea Ignored

Updated: 7:42pm UK, Tuesday 18 March 2014

By Jason Farrell, Sky News Correspondent

"In our hearts, in our minds Crimea has always been an integral part of Russia. It's all based on truth and justice," President Putin told Russia.

Women wept in the audience but elsewhere in Europe hearts must have been sinking.

The US, Britain, France and Germany strongly condemned Moscow's inking of a treaty making Crimea a Russian territory, with Foreign Secretary William Hague saying London was suspending all bilateral military co-operation.

The events in Crimea have rattled nerves in Poland and the three Baltic states, which were under Moscow's thumb before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Putin's pulpit-style history lesson during his address will have done little to calm them.

He told his Kremlin audience: "After the revolution Bolsheviks decided to give up Crimea and God will judge them for that."

He added that after the breakup of the Soviet Union "millions of Russians went to bed in one country and woke up abroad", and claimed Crimea was "given away like a sack of potatoes".

It was quite clear the President felt he was acting within his rights and was not reeling from "phase II" sanctions or even the threat of "phase III" trade sanctions.

He told the room sanctions were something Russia had always had to endure.

"During the cold War the United States and other countries banned sales in a large list of technologies to the Soviet Union," he said.

"We know that those bans are still in operation."

But towards the end of his speech he seemed to offer a deal.

Asking for assurances that ethnic Russian in Ukraine would have their rights defended, he said: "We don't want to carve up Ukraine."

It seemed that Putin was negotiating from his Kremlin lectern offering to leave the rest of the country alone if Ukraine and the West could accept Crimea being incorporated into Russian territory.

The deal was not laid outright, but when I suggested it to a spokesman for David Cameron he said: "We acknowledge Russian interests in Crimea.

"We understand that. But when it comes to the future of Ukraine, it must be up to the Ukrainian people."

Later the Prime Minister said in a statement: "The steps taken by President Putin today to attempt to annex Crimea to Russia are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe.

"It is completely unacceptable for Russia to use force to change borders, on the basis of a sham referendum held at the barrel of a Russian gun.

"President Putin should be in no doubt that Russia will face more serious consequences and I will push European leaders to agree further EU measures when we meet on Thursday."

It seems he will have cross-party support. In a Commons debate on the crisis Malcom Rifkind gave a passionate speech saying Europe had so far looked weak.

He said: "On the basis of the measures announced so far by both the United States and the European Union on visa controls and asset freezes for individuals, I say with great sadness that is a pathetic and feeble response."

Labour's Ian Austin was in agreement saying the UK should "board up" UK property owned by Russia's elite.

He said: "I think we should change the locks on their fancy apartments in Kensington, board up the mansions they've bought in the Home Counties and empty their bank accounts to show them that the West won't tolerate the sort of brutality and corruption that passes for government and business in Putin's Russia."

President Putin must know he cannot keep Crimea without consequence, but he may be hoping his offer not to go further in to Ukraine will be heard by some - and divide opinion when it comes to sanction discussions in Brussels on Thursday.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Sanctions Target Putin Aides

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych is among those slapped with travel bans and asset freezes as Western powers hit back over Crimea's referendum.

The US list targets seven Russian officials and four from Ukraine blamed for Moscow's military incursion into the peninsula.

Among them are Dmitry Rogozin, deputy prime minister of the Russian Federation, and Sergey Aksyonov, PM of Crimea's regional government, as well as several top advisers to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The US sanctions include freezes on all assets over which America has control, a block on all transactions in dollars, and a ban on travel to the US.

Thousands turned out in Simferopol and Sevastopol to celebrate the vote

The EU measures target 21 people but their names have not been released.

However, Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the list included Crimean and Russian politicians and three members of the Russian military.

Mr Putin himself was not sanctioned in the US list and President Barack Obama described the measures as an "initial step".

He said they targeted Russian officials and those "operating in the arms sector in Russia and individuals who provide material support to senior officials of the Russian government.

Viktor Yanukovych, who fled Ukraine, is named on the US list

"If Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine we stand ready to impose further sanctions."

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the EU measures targeted "people who are associated with the decisions Russia has made about Crimea" such as figures in the armed forces and parliament.

"I think that's an important statement of European unity and resolve," said Mr Hague.

Mr Rogozin did not seem fazed by his inclusion on the US list. He posted on Twitter: "Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn't think about it?)"

Duma deputy Yelena Mizulina, who is best-known for writing the gay propaganda law in Russia, was also on the list.

She reportedly said she was "surprised" to be included, saying: "I believe that my role in this (Crimea) case is very modest. I have no real estate there - neither I nor my family members."

Upper house of parliament speaker and close Putin ally, Valentina Matviyenko, said the sanctions were "political blackmail".

And Russian federation council member Andrei Klishas brushed off being included, telling the Interfax news agency the list was "no tragedy for myself." He added: "The company that I found myself in, I was quite happy."

The sanctions came hours after Crimea's parliament declared the region an independent state.

Almost 97% of voters in Crimea decided at the weekend that they wanted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia.

The Ukraine crisis has led to a Cold War-style stand-off

However, the referendum has been widely criticised as being illegal and a "sham".

Ukraine's parliament has approved a partial mobilisation of troops in the wake of the vote. It said 20,000 reserve troops were being called up, plus 20,000 more from the newly-formed National Guard.

Crimea's regional assembly has already formally applied to join Russia and announced the nationalisation of all Ukrainian state property, including the disbanding of military bases.

"The republic of Crimea appeals to the United Nations and to all countries of the world to recognise it as an independent state," read a document by the Crimean assembly on Monday.

Ukraine opposition leader Vitali Klitschko claimed the country stands on the verge of a humanitarian crisis, with the danger of ethnic cleansing of Crimea's Tatar minority.

There is also "concrete evidence" that some voting papers were "pre-marked", a senior US official told the Reuters news agency.

Lenin Square was full of patriotism towards Russia

Mr Putin insists the vote is legal and is set to speak on the issue at the Russian parliament on Tuesday.

Crimea wasted no time following the landslide vote - officials are expected to fly to Moscow and the rouble has been introduced as a second official currency.

It also wants Ukrainian military outposts in the region disbanded, but the Kiev government said they are staying put.

"Those (troops) who want to live here? No problem. Those who want to swear allegiance we will examine," said Crimea's assembly chief Volodymyr Konstantynov.

Sky News' Nick Martin, at an army base near Crimean capital Simferopol, said it was a tense time for the solders and their families.

"There are many Ukrainian soldiers inside, pretty much surrounded by Russian soldiers - no one really knows how this will work."

The vote has been condemned as illegal by many governments in the West

He said many practical questions also hung over Crimea, such as the payment of salaries and social security, and the supply of gas and electricity.

The intervention of Russian forces in Crimea followed last month's ousting of Kremlin ally, President Viktor Yanukovych who fled Kiev after days of anti-government clashes left scores of police and protesters dead.

Moscow justified the occupation of Crimea, saying it wanted to protect the majority ethnic Russian population.

Kiev has accused "Kremlin agents" of trying to stoke violence in other Ukrainian cities, such as Donetsk.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Oscar Pistorius Trial Hears From Gun Supplier

Oscar Pistorius told a firearms supplier how he went into "combat mode" when he feared intruders were in his house, a court has heard.

Giving evidence on the eleventh day of the athlete's murder trial, firearms training academy manager Sean Rens told the court the athlete had a "great love and enthusiasm" for guns.

Mr Rens said Pistorius told him of one occasion when he heard a noise in his home and drew a weapon, fearing burglars were on the property.

He went into "code red" or "combat mode" after hearing a noise in his house but it turned out to be from the tumble dryer, Mr Rens said.

Pistorius had tweeted about the incident in November 2012, saying: "Nothing like getting home to hear the washing machine on and thinking its an intruder to go into full combat recon mode into the pantry!"

The tweet has since been deleted from his Twitter account.

Mr Rens said he met the double-amputee runner in 2012 and that Pistorius asked to be provided with a revolver.

He said Pistorius was familiar with gun laws and had filled out a questionnaire when applying for new permits.

The court was shown photographs of Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg

Mr Rens said that after buying a Smith and Wesson 500 from him, Pistorius put in a further order for four more guns - two shotguns, a LM6 civilian assault rifle and two revolvers, including a .38 special.

However, the order was cancelled around a month after Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead, the court heard. 

At the start of the day Ms Steenkamp's mother June  - attending for the first time since the opening day - appeared to acknowledge the athlete and spoke to his sister Aimee in the courtroom.

The athlete's sister Aimee spoke with June Steenkamp in court

She left court before evidence from police photographer Bennie van Staden, who discussed pictures taken at the scene - including graphic images of her daughter's injuries.

Mr van Staden said he arrived at the house at 4.50am on February 14, 2013 where he took photographs of the victim, of Pistorius in a garage and of rooms in the house.

He said Pistorius was "very quiet and emotional" when he arrived, adding that he meant he was crying.

He told the court the date and time was visible in his pictures and rejected claims from the defence that the timeline of his work was unclear.

Smears of blood were visible on a signed cricket bat in the house

He also explained how he marked out certain objects in the bathroom with cones and moved a towel and other items for visibility.

The court was shown photographs of Pistorius' bloodied prosthetic leg and of unexplained damage to the main bedroom door in the house.

Photographs were also taken of blood spots on the bedroom wall, above one of the bedside tables, and of bullet casings in the passage leading from the bedroom to the bathroom, the court heard.

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt, who has been in court, said: "Why all this is there, we haven't been offered an explanation, but it begins to build up a picture of the prosecution case, that there was an argument before the shooting."

Police pictures showed the scene in the athlete's bedroom

Pistorius, who won two gold medals at the Paralympics in London in 2012, is charged with premeditated murder.

He is also accused of illegally possessing ammunition, as well as two further counts related to shooting a gun in public in two separate incidents before the killing.

The athlete denies the charges and says he shot Ms Steenkamp, 29, by mistake after mistaking her for an intruder.

Because there are no jury trials in South Africa, his fate will be decided by a judge, working with two assessors.

The trial continues. 

:: Watch a special Sky News programme on the trial at 9.30pm, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane 'May Have Sent Signals On Ground'

Missing Jet: Timeline Of Key Events

Updated: 2:27pm UK, Sunday 16 March 2014

A summary of the developments surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Sunday, March 9

:: Malaysia's police chief says the pilot, co-pilot as well as ground staff, crew and passengers are now all under investigation.

:: The search expands even further with 25 countries being asked to help, including Australia.

:: Malaysia says its possible the plane's signal could have been picked up while it was on the ground.

Saturday, March 8

:: The Boeing 777, with 239 people on board, loses contact with air traffic control north of Malaysia around 1.20am, some 40 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

:: Vietnam says the plane went missing near its airspace.

It launches a search operation which expands into a huge international hunt in the South China Sea, involving dozens of ships and aircraft from countries including the US and Japan.

:: Tearful relatives of the 153 Chinese passengers criticise Malaysia Airlines over a lack of information.

:: Vietnamese planes spot two large oil slicks near the aircraft's last known location, but it proves a false alarm.

:: It also emerges two passengers were travelling on stolen EU passports, fuelling speculation of a terrorist attack.

Sunday, March 9

:: Malaysia said it was investigating a possible terror link to the jet's disappearance and the US sent FBI agents to assist in the investigation.

:: Malaysia raises the first of several suggestions that the plane may have veered radically off-course.

:: The air force chief said it may have turned back towards the country's capital for no apparent reason.

:: A Vietnamese plane spots possible debris off southwest Vietnam - but this is also a false alarm.

Monday, March 10

:: Authorities double the search radius to 100 nautical miles around the point where MH370 disappeared from radar.

:: China criticises Malaysia, saying it needs to speed up the investigation.

:: Malaysia sends ships to investigate a sighting of a possible life raft, but a Vietnamese vessel that gets there first finds only flotsam.

:: Chemical analysis by Malaysia finds no link between oil slicks found at sea and the missing plane.

Tuesday, March 11

:: The search area now includes land on the Malaysian peninsula itself, the waters off its west coast, and an area to the north of Indonesia's Sumatra island, all far removed from the flight's scheduled route.

:: Authorities identify the two men with stolen passports as young Iranians who are believed to be illegal immigrants - not terrorists.

Wednesday, March 12

:: Malaysia expands the search zone to include the Malacca Strait off the country's west coast and the Andaman Sea north of Indonesia, hundreds of miles away.

:: Malaysia's air force chief says an unidentified object was detected on military radar north of the Malacca Strait early on Saturday - less than an hour after the plane lost contact - but says it is still being investigated.

:: At a news conference, Malaysian officials deny the search is in disarray after China says conflicting information about its course is "pretty chaotic".

:: It emerges US regulators warned months ago of a problem with "cracking and corrosion" of the fuselage skin under the satellite antenna on Boeing 777s that could lead to a mid-air break-up.

:: But the manufacturer later confirms that the warning did not apply to the missing plane, which had a different kind of antenna.

Thursday, March 13

:: Malaysia dismisses a report in the Wall Street Journal which said US investigators suspect the plane flew on for four hours after its last known contact, based on data sent from its engines.

:: Authorities in Kuala Lumpur also say that Chinese satellite images of suspected debris in the South China Sea are yet another false lead.

:: India steps up its search, sending three ships and three aircraft to the remote Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Friday, March 14

:: The hunt spreads west to the Indian Ocean after the White House cites unspecified "new information" that the jet may have flown on after losing contact.

:: Malaysia declines to comment on US reports that the plane's communication system continued to "ping" a satellite for hours after it disappeared, suggesting it may have travelled a huge distance.

Saturday, March 15

:: Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak says the last-known movements of the missing airliner were consistent with the deliberate actions of someone on board.

:: He also revealed the last contact with the plane was with a satellite at 8.11am last Saturday which means it could have been flying for more than six hours longer than first thought.

:: The PM confirmed Malaysian air force defence radar picked up traces of the plane turning back westward, crossing over Peninsular Malaysia into the northern stretches of the Strait of Malacca.

:: The search area is expanded to two air corridors - a northern one stretching as far as Turkmenistan and Thailand - and one which goes as far as Indonesia and the southern Indian Ocean.

:: Mr Najib says search efforts in the South China Sea, where the plane first lost contact, had ended.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane Pilots 'Seen At Airport Security'

Leaked CCTV footage appears to show the pilots of the missing Malaysia Airlines plane calmly passing through security shortly before boarding the aircraft.

The video, which was uploaded to YouTube, seems to show Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid walking through a body scanner at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Mr Hamid is patted down by a member of security staff. Pic: YouTube

Dressed in uniforms, the two men in the video are frisked for less than two seconds each by security staff before collecting luggage from the conveyor belt of an X-ray machine.

Mr Zaharie and his co-pilot have come under increased scrutiny since investigators revealed flight MH370's tracking devices were deliberately switched off mid-way through a flight to Beijing.

Mr Hamid (L) and Mr Zaharie's backgrounds are being investigated

Satellite data suggests the Boeing 777, which had 239 people on board, flew for at least seven hours - more than six hours after it lost contact with air traffic control.

It is feared that after flying northwest towards countries such as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, or southwest towards the Indian Ocean, the aircraft could have been landed and stored, ready to be used in a 9/11-style terror attack.

Authorities are yet to comment on the CCTV footage, although the personal and religious backgrounds of both pilots are being checked.

Police are investigating a flight simulator found at the home of Mr Zaharie, who has more than 18,000 hours' flying experience and joined Malaysia Airlines more than 30 years ago.

Flight MH370 disappeared less than an hour after taking off from Malaysia

Messages posted on the 53-year-old's Facebook page suggest he was a politically active opponent of the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for 57 years since the country became independent.

Mr Fariq, 27, had only recently graduated to the cockpit of the Boeing 777 and had not asked to fly with Mr Zaharie, authorities have confirmed.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Crimea Vote Fuels Fear Of Discrimination

When the polls open in Crimea today there will be some voters staying away - Tatars living outside of the region.

Most are refusing to return to take part in the referendum on joining the Russian Federation, insisting the poll is illegal.

 Elvina Musaeva, a young Tatar who has moved to the capital Kiev to study, says: "I have Crimean residency, but I will not vote for sure. The referendum is not legitimate. The decision is already made. This is a political issue."

The friends she is sharing dinner with in a restaurant in the capital all agree that the result of the referendum is a forgone conclusion.

The balance of the population in Crimea favours Russia. But it's a painful history under a former Soviet leader which makes them fear what may happen now.

Elnara Abdullaiera says the forced deportation of Tatars by Stalin in 1944 has left a permanent psychological scar.

After accusing them of colluding with the Nazi, Stalin banished hundreds of thousands of her people.

Crimean Tatars during rallies in Simferopol last month

Elnara says: "They cannot face deportation again. They cannot bear to moved again. Many lost everything."

After seeing the violent clashes in Crimea on television, Elnara begged her mother to leave the region.

"I feel the danger. I am afraid for the life of my mother, afraid for the life of my father," she says.

"But my mother says I don't want to live anywhere else. This is my home. I don't want to go to another place. My mother says this is our homeland."

Many families lost properties, money and livelihoods during the mass deportations. Only returning decades after to try to rebuild their lives.

There's no doubt that experience feeds into their determination to stay in Crimea and fuels their antipathy of the Russian government.

Crimean expert Natalya Berlitser says Tatars are right to be wary.

Tatars say they are afraid of impending Russian control

She believes if the referendum goes Russia's way, which seems certain, then over time they will face discrimination, especially as they have been openly critical of President Putin's move.

"We have to remember the history with Russia," she says.

"My concern for the Crimean Tatars is that in the initial period there will not be any drastic measures against them. But when the world turns away, when the international protectors of Ukraine's independence like the US and the UK get distracted by other crises, when they look away, then they (the Tatars) will become targets."

That's a worrying scenario for Tatars inside and away from Crimea.

They acknowledge that their failure to vote will make the backing for Russia seems all the stronger. But they are resigned to a result that can only cause problems for them.

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine Accuses Russia Of 'Military Invasion'

Ukrainian authorities have accused Russia of carrying out a "military invasion" after reportedly deploying troops in an area bordering Crimea.

It is claimed 120 soldiers, supported by helicopters and armoured personnel carriers, have landed near the village of Strelkovoye on Arbatskaya Strelka, and seized a gas distribution station.

The move is being seen as significant as the split of land, is outside the troubled southern region of Crimea, and signals an extension of Moscow's military intervention in Ukraine.

Russian forces apparently tried to enter Arbatsyka Strelka

It had initially been reported Ukrainian forces had repelled an attempt by Russian forces to enter the area, which is about 70 miles long and runs parallel to the east of Crimea.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry is demanding the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.

Thousands of anti-war protesters have gathered in central Moscow

It said in a statement: "Ukraine reserves the right to use all necessary measures to stop the military invasion by Russia."

Washington's UN representative has branded any new Russian troop movement in south Ukraine an "outrageous escalation".

Tensions are running high ahead of Sunday's controversial referendum on whether Crimea should break away from Ukraine.

Ukrainian soldiers pictured taking part in a miiltary drill

There were reports of advanced Russian surface-to-air missiles being mobilised in the east of the Crimean peninsula.

And earlier, two people were shot dead in clashes between pro-Kiev and pro-Moscow activists in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

Speakers at the pro-Putin rally denounced Ukrainian "fascists"

Ukraine's interim interior minister said the two men, aged 20 and 31, were killed and several others wounded during the late-night gun battle.

Arsen Avakov claimed around 30 people "from both sides" were arrested, and he accused Russian activists of provoking the clashes.

A pro-Russian rally in Donetsk also turned violent with demonstrators storming the offices of the national security service, taking down the Ukrainian flag, and raising the Russian one.

Ukraine has accused "Kremlin agents" of stoking violence in Russian-speaking cities and urged people not to be goaded into fighting back they could be used by Moscow as a precursor for further incursions.

Ukraine's east has seen regular clashes between rival groups in recent days

The unrest has escalated in the Russian-speaking east of the country since Moscow's military invention in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula following the ousting of Kremlin ally, President Viktor Yanukoych last month.

The referendum on Crimea joining the Russian Federation further ratcheted up the tensions.

Russia has vetoed a Western-backed resolution at the UN condemning the Crimea referendum but China abstained, isolating Moscow further on the crisis.

The UK's ambassador to the UN Mark Lyall Grant responded by accusing Russia of "military adventurism".

He said: "This resolution was designed to prevent further escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.

Mr Lavrov and Mr Kerry could find no common ground on the Crimean vote

"It was about sending a clear signal that holding a referendum in Crimea would take us further away from a diplomatic solution.

"The resounding message from today's vote is that Russia stands isolated in this Council, and in the international community."

A day ahead of the planned referendum in Crimea, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow to protest against Russian intervention.

Protesters, waving Ukrainian flags, called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to withdraw troops from Crimea.

Ballots are already being counted ahead of Sunday's referendum

An estimated 15,000 people staged a rival rally nearby in support of Mr Putin.

The clashes in Kharkiv were the second to turn fatal this week, after one person was killed and at least 17 wounded in the eastern city of Donetsk on Thursday.

Friday's gun battle reportedly broke out after pro-Russian activists attempted to storm the headquarters of a Ukrainian nationalist group.

Russian state news agency Itar Tass said the shots were fired from the offices of the far-right group, Right Sector.

It said the nationalists later surrendered.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's special representative for human rights, Konstantin Dolgov, responded to the fatalities by calling on Ukraine to outlaw all ultra-nationalist groups.

Using the Russian spelling of Kharkiv, Mr Dolgov wrote on Twitter: "Arresting neo-fascists in Kharkov should mark the beginning of large-scale activities to neutralise and punish the extremists who are getting out of hand."

Russian media is increasingly referring to nationalist groups such as Right Sector to illustrate an apparent fascist threat to Russians in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow justified last week's military occupation of Crimea by saying it wished to protect ethnic Russians and has not ruled out moving its troops further afield to protect its compatriots.

America and the European Union have warned Russia of sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans unless the vote is called off.

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said such measures would be a "counter-productive instrument".

10.52 | 0 komentar | Read More