Russia Today Host Who Criticised Kremlin Sent to Crimea

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Russian state-funded TV presenter in anti-Kremlin tirade sent to Crimea to get a 'better understanding' of situation on the ground


A TV presenter working for a Kremlin-funded channel who spoke out against Russia's military invasion in Ukraine live on air has been sent by the broadcaster to Crimea to "better her knowledge" of the situation.

In an off-message tirade, Abby Martin, a Washington-based American news anchor for Russia Today, shocked mostly pro-Russian viewers by announcing she "cannot stress enough" how strongly she felt about presence of its troops in Crimea, saying "Russia was wrong".

The host addressed the camera in unscripted remarks at the end of the station's Breaking the Set segment, saying: "Just because I work here, for RT, doesn't mean I don't have editorial independence and I can't stress enough how strongly I am against any military intervention in sovereign nations' affairs.

"I will not sit here and apologise or defend military aggression," she went on.

The English-language Russia Today is widely perceived as the voice of the Kremlin, with Reporters Without Borders describing it as a "step of the state to control information." » | Josie Ensor | Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Obama: Russia's Actions Are Not a Sign of Strength

Mar. 04, 2014 - 4:52 - President addresses crisis in Ukraine

Team Obama Wins Fight to Have Christian Home-school Family Deported

FOX NEWS: Uwe and Hannelore Romeike came to the United States in 2008 seeking political asylum. They fled their German homeland in the face of religious persecution for homeschooling their children.

They wanted to live in a country where they could raise their children in accordance with their Christian beliefs.

The Romeikes were initially given asylum, but the Obama administration objected – claiming that German laws that outlaw homeschooling do not constitute persecution.

“The goal in Germany is for an open, pluralistic society,” the Justice Department wrote in a legal brief last year. “Teaching tolerance to children of all backgrounds helps to develop the ability to interact as a fully functioning citizen in Germany.”

On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to hear the Romeike’s appeal – paving the way for the Christian family of eight to be deported. » | Tod Starnes | Todd’s American Dispatch | Monday, March 03, 2014

Tory Councillor Who Shared Burka Joke on Facebook Expelled from Party

Tory councillor Chris Joannides has been expelled from his
party after comparing Muslim children wearing burkas
to bin[-]bags on Facebook

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Chris Joannides, a Conservative councillor in Enfield, has been dropped as a candidate for May's local elections and banned from the party for a year

A Tory councillor has been expelled from his party after comparing Muslim children wearing burkas to bin[-]bags on Facebook.

Chris Joannides, a councillor for Enfield, in north London, also upset colleagues by complaining that his job as a local councillor was interfering with his social life.

Conservative Central Office has now dropped him as a candidate for the local elections in May and expelled him from the party for 12 months.

The decision comes after Mr Joannides posted a photograph showing a woman and child dressed in the traditional Muslim clothing standing next to two bin[-]bags.

A caption read: "I saw her standing there and I told her she had three beautiful children. She didn't have to get all ****** off and threaten me. It was an honest mistake!" » | Hayley Dixon | Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Did Sarah Palin Predict the Ukraine Crisis Back in 2008?

Mar. 03, 2014 - 8:01 - Former vice presidential candidate says Obama is not exercising 'peace through strength'

How to Handle Putin

Mar. 03, 2014 - 3:54 - Talking Points 3/3

Judge Jeanine: Obama's Policies Reducing US to Paper Tiger

Mar. 02, 2014 - 6:02 - President issues another warning

Sen. Inhofe Concerned with 'Weakened Condition' of US Abroad

Mar. 04, 2014 - 6:35 - Republican lawmaker critical of vulnerability displayed by White House

Krim-Konflikt: Europas Ohnmacht gegenüber Russland

Wladimir Putin und Premierminister Dmitri Medwediew

ZEIT ONLINE: EU und USA können die russische Aggression auf der Krim nicht stoppen. Ihnen fehlt eine Strategie gegen Putins Neoimperialismus und so bleibt nur, mit ihm zu verhandeln.

Wie soll der Westen auf den Aufmarsch der russischen Armee auf der Krim und auf die unverhohlene militärische Drohung des Kreml gegen die Ukraine reagieren? In den europäischen Hauptstädten und in Washington herrscht Rat- und Hilflosigkeit. US-Präsident Barak Obama warnt Wladimir Putin zwar davor, sich zu isolieren. Und die Europäer mahnen beide Seiten, den Konflikt nicht weiter anzuheizen. Doch Obamas Drohung wird Putin kaum beeindrucken und auch Europa kann oder will nicht mit Konsequenzen drohen.

Denn militärisch werden sich weder die USA noch die Europäer in der Ukraine engagieren. Die neue Führung in Kiew und die ukrainische Armee haben dem russischen Riesen ebenfalls kaum etwas entgegenzusetzen. So kann Russland ungestört Truppen auf die Krim verlegen. Faktisch hat es die ukrainische Halbinsel, die jahrhundertelang zum russischen Reich gehörte, annektiert und dort auch politisch über eine Marionetten-Regierung in der Provinzhauptstadt die Macht übernommen.

Noch weiß niemand, ob sich das russische Expansionsstreben auf die Krim mit ihrer russischsprachigen Bevölkerungsmehrheit beschränkt, oder ob Putin versuchen wird, auch die Ostukraine mit ihrer Schwerindustrie und ihren engen Beziehungen zu Russland unter Kontrolle zu bringen. Auch in diesem Fall könnte er sich auf Hilferufe der russischsprachigen Bevölkerung berufen. Das Land würde damit zweigeteilt – ein Alptraum für die meisten Menschen in der Ukraine, aber auch für den Westen. » | Ein Kommentar von Ludwig Greven | Sonntag, 02. März 2014

Crisis in the Ukraine: What Is Putin's Endgame?

Mar. 03, 2014 - 6:51 - Insight from author Amy Knight and former CIA covert operations office Mike Baker

Ukraine: What Should US Do Now?

THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: For Washington, the Ukraine question now may be less how to react to Russia's seizure of the Crimean Peninsula as what to do to try to stop further Russian expansionism.

As Moscow tightens its grip on the Crimean Peninsula, Washington is facing up to a harsh reality: In Ukraine, there’s a vast imbalance in power and national interests between the United States and a resurgent imperial Russia.

After the cold war, the influence of the West expanded quickly up to Russia’s borders. Moscow had to accept a unified Germany, as well as NATO memberships for nations that used to be the USSR’s buffer zone, from Poland to Latvia. Now Vladimir Putin has seized on an opportunity to push back: He’s poured thousands of troops into Crimea in an apparent attempt to destabilize a new Western-oriented Ukrainian government.

America’s problem is that it is no longer 1997. Russia is not preoccupied with internal political and economic turmoil. And in past decades, the West expanded its influence beyond the area it is prepared to use force to defend. Mr. Putin understands this – and so do President Obama and his Republican critics.

Thus there’s little saber rattling in Washington. GOP lawmakers are talking about responses that differ only modestly from the Obama administration’s: draw up economic sanctions, put planning for the upcoming G8 summit in Sochi, Russia, on hold, and so forth.

“There [are] not a lot of options on the table,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R) of Michigan, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.”

Instead, Republicans are using the crisis as an opportunity to talk more broadly about what they say is Mr. Obama’s overall foreign policy weakness. Their question essentially is less “what next?” than “who lost Sevastopol?” » | Peter Grier, Staff Writer | Washington | Monday, March 03, 2014

Pope Francis Drops F-bomb

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Pope Francis inadvertently demonstrated his own fallibility during an address in St Peter’s Square when he mistakenly said the Italian word for “f---”


Pope Francis inadvertently demonstrated his own fallibility during an address in St Peter’s Square when he mistakenly said the Italian word for “f**k”.

In the 12 months since he was elected, the Argentinean Pope, who worked with the poor in the slums of Buenos Aires being before [sic] made pontiff, has shown a healthy sense of humour and an unerring ability to connect with ordinary people.

But he accidentally went a little too far in using the language of the street after mispronouncing the word “caso”, which means example, as “cazzo” – Italian for f--- or, in other contexts, cock.

“If each of us were to accumulate wealth not only for ourselves but to put at the service of others, in this f--- [pause], in this case God’s providence would manifest itself in this gesture of solidarity,” he told a large crowd, delivering his ‘Angelus’ address from a window overlooking St Peter’s Square.

The 77-year-old Jesuit Pope corrected himself almost immediately after making the gaffe during the audience at the Vatican on Sunday, but it was posted by Italians on YouTube and other social media and has since spread round the world. » | Nick Squires, Rome | Monday, March 03, 2014

New Cold War? Obama, Putin Are Split

America Sees Rise of a Globalized Economy, Russia Sees a Right to Protect Its Interests in Ukraine
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: There are many differences in style and substance between President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the Ukraine crisis has brought into sharp relief the most important one: The American leader believes the world has moved beyond the Cold War, and his Russian counterpart seems more comfortable moving back into it.

In fact, this difference probably is true of the countries the two men lead, not just of the leaders themselves. Americans tend to see the Cold War in the rearview mirror as a wildly expensive period of ideological struggle that was settled decisively in favor of the rightful victor, democratic capitalism. Russians tend to view it as a period in which Moscow played its rightful role as a superpower with a large and clearly defined sphere of influence and an important voice on every world issue.

The differences help explain the depth of the disconnect between the U.S. and Russia as they circle each other warily over the future of Ukraine. By the American reckoning, a new set of standards ought to apply to 21st century international behavior, and the grounds for excusing one superpower's behavior because it believes it is involved in an existential struggle against the other have largely disappeared. By the other reckoning, the Russian one, big nation-states still have the clear right to protect their regional influence and interests. » | Gerald F. Seib | Monday, March 03, 2014

Was Mitt Romney Right to Warn about Russia?

Mar. 03, 2014 - 3:08 - Peter Johnson, Jr. weighs in

Did Obama's Foreign Policy Stumbles Lead to Ukraine Crisis?

Mar. 03, 2014 - 7:12 - Republicans slam president's weaknesses

Republicans Call for an About Face on US Policy on Russia

Mar. 03, 2014 - 5:01 - Rep. Turner wants to see a significant change from Obama

Ukraine Crisis: Russia Gives Ukraine 3am Deadline to Get Out of Crimea or ‘Face Storm’

A Russian army vehicle outside a Ukrainian border guard post

THE INDEPENDENT: Diplomatic crisis between East and West intensifies as Putin defies calls to pull out of disputed region

Russia has told Ukrainian forces to surrender its control of the strategic Crimean region by 3am on Tuesday or face military assault, amid the worst diplomatic crisis since the Cold War.

The forces in the region are also demanding that the crew of two Ukrainian warships in Sevastopol harbour surrender within the hour, or face being stormed and seized by Russian forces.

Relations between East and West continued to plummet as the Russian Government continued to ignore calls from Western leaders to leave the Ukrainian area.

This morning, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, justified the military incursion claiming it was necessary in order to protect his country's citizens living there. "This is a question of defending our citizens and compatriots, ensuring human rights, especially the right to life," he said. » | Kashmira Gander | Monday, March 03, 2014

Inside Story: Ukraine: Warnings of War

How will Western powers respond to Russian military intervention in Crimea?

Kerry Tells Russia 'One Doesn't Invade A Country On A Phony Pretext'

Talk of Russia sending troops has led to a sharp international response. US President Obama said Moscow was breaching international law and could end up isolated. Canada joined in by condemning Putin's military intervention. Both of them, plus Britain and France have decided to suspend preparations for the G8 Summit in Sochi. All this despite Moscow still not having decided whether to send troops. Gayane Chichyakyan has more on what was probably the strongest threat.

Russian Markets Hit as Putin Tightens Grip on Crimea

REUTERS.COM: (Reuters) - Russia took a financial hit over its military intervention in neighboring Ukraine, with its markets and currency plunging on Monday as President Vladimir Putin's forces tightened their grip on the Russian-speaking Crimea region.

The Moscow stock market fell by 10 percent and the central bank spent $10 billion of its reserves to prop up the rouble as investors took fright at escalating tensions with the West over the former Soviet republic.

Ukraine said Russia was building up armoured vehicles on its side of a narrow stretch of water closest to Crimea after Putin declared at the weekend he had the right to invade his neighbor to protect Russian interests and citizens.

On the ground in Perevalnoye, half way between the Crimean capital of Simferopol and the Black Sea, hundreds of Russian troops in trucks and armoured vehicles - without national insignia on their uniforms - surrounded two military compounds, confining Ukrainian soldiers as virtual prisoners.

Ukraine called up reservists on Sunday and the United States threatened to isolate Russia economically after Putin's action provoked what Britain's foreign minister called "the biggest crisis in Europe in the twenty-first century". » | Lidia Kelly and Alissa de Carbonnel | Moscow/Perevalnoye, Ukrain | Monday, March 03, 2014