Singing Nun Stuns Judges on Italy's The Voice

Sister Cristina Scuccia performs a version of Alicia Keys' song No One on Italy's The Voice. The nun, from Sicily, impresses the judges who unanimously opt to keep her in the TV talent competition. She has been quoted as saying she hopes to gain renown in her country which may lead to her meeting the Pope

Crimea, Sevastopol Officially Join Russia as Putin Signs Final Decree

Russia has finalized the legal process of taking Crimea under its sovereignty, as President Putin signed a law amending the Russian constitution to reflect the transition

THE GUARDIAN: Putin laughs off sanctions as he signs bills to transfer Crimea to Russia: President promises to open account at blacklisted bank as west signals intent to maintain pressure over Ukraine crisis » | Alex Luhn in Moscow | Friday, March 21, 2014

Inside Story: Oil and Gas: At What Price?

Regional power shifts and how they affect the supplies of gas and oil central to 21st Century life.

France Says Britain Must Extend Sanctions to Russian Oligarchs in London

Laurent Fabius, Foreign Minister of France

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius tells William Hague oligarchs should suffer

Britain should target the assets of Russian oligarchs in London if more sanctions are adopted against Moscow over Ukraine, France’s foreign minister has said.

Laurent Fabius made the remarks as he said France might envisage suspending a €1.2billion (£1billion) contract to supply two warships to Russia.

The decision not to deliver two Mistral-class helicopter carriers, he said, could be part of a potential “third level” of sanctions if Russia did not respond to those imposed by the European Union and the US on Monday on a number of top Russian and Ukrainian figures.

But he insisted this could only take place “in the framework of general sanctions imposed by all countries”.

Mr Fabius went on to single out Britain, saying it must do “the equivalent with the assets of Russian oligarchs in London. Sanctions have to touch everyone”. » | Henry Samuel, in Paris and Bruno Waterfield in Brussels | Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Krim-Krise: Schulz warnt vor Krieg in Europa

EU-Parlamentspräsident Schulz bei der Ankunft in Brüssel:
"Wir reden vom Risiko eines bewaffneten Konflikts."

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Auf dem Gipfel in Brüssel suchen Staats- und Regierungschefs eine gemeinsame Haltung in einer der schlimmsten Krisen seit langem, dem Konflikt zwischen Russland und der Ukraine. EU-Parlamentspräsident Schulz warnt vor Krieg - und fordert drastische Sanktionen.

Washington - Der reguläre Gipfel der Staats- und Regierungschefs der EU an diesem Donnerstag und Freitag wandelte sich zum Krisengipfel. Schon wieder. Der zweite Krisengipfel in diesem Monat. In Brüssel sucht man nach einer gemeinsamen Haltung in der Krim-Krise. Wie scharf sollen weitere Sanktionen gegen Russland ausfallen?

Vor Beginn der eigentlichen Gespräche berieten sich die Gipfelteilnehmer mit EU-Parlamentspräsident Martin Schulz - und der konfrontierte sie mit drastischen Befürchtungen: "All diejenigen, die geglaubt haben, Krieg oder Kriegsgefahr wären kein Thema mehr, sehen sich eines Besseren belehrt", sagte der Sozialdemokrat. "Wir reden vom Risiko eines bewaffneten Konflikts." Das "sehr brutale Vorgehen" Russlands zur Annexion der ukrainischen Halbinsel Krim bedeute eine "neue Dimension".

Schulz äußerte nach einem Treffen mit den EU-Staats- und Regierungschefs Sorge, dass sich Russlands "Begehrlichkeiten" nicht auf die Krim beschränkten. "Und deswegen ist jeder weitere Schritt der russischen Regierung zu beantworten mit verschärften Sanktionen" bis hin zu einer "dramatischen wirtschaftlichen Konfrontation". Die EU müsse Moskau deutlich machen, dass sie ein Überschreiten der von Russland erreichten Grenze nicht akzeptiere, fügte Schulz hinzu. » | ler/dpa/AFP | Donnerstag, 20. März 2014

Répression: Le premier ministre turc veut «supprimer» Twitter

Après Facebook et YouTube, le premier ministre turc Erdogan
veut désormais supprimer Twitter.

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Recep Tayyip Erdogan a menacé d'interdire Twitter après la publication sur les réseaux sociaux d'enregistrements d'écoutes téléphoniques qui le mettent directement en cause dans un scandale de corruption.

«Nous allons supprimer Twitter. Je me moque de ce que pourra dire la communauté internationale», a lancé Recep Tayyip Erdogan devant des milliers de partisans lors d'un rassemblement électoral à huit jours du scrutin municipal du 30 mars. «Ils verront alors la force de la Turquie», a-t-il ajouté.

Au début du mois, le chef du gouvernement islamo-conservateur avait déjà menacé d'interdire YouTube et Facebook. «Nous sommes résolus à ne pas laisser le peuple turc être esclave de YouTube et Facebook», avait-il déclaré lors d'un entretien télévisé, «nous prendrons les mesures nécessaires, quelles qu'elles soient, y compris la fermeture». » | afp/Newsnet | jeudi 20 mars 2014

Dutch Politician Wilders Accused of Discrimination

Geert Wilders said he had been "only referring to Moroccan
criminals" at the rally

BBC: A group representing Moroccans living in the Netherlands says it will file a complaint of discrimination against the populist politician, Geert Wilders.

At a local election rally in The Hague on Wednesday night, Mr Wilders asked supporters of his Freedom Party if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans there.

When they chanted "fewer" in response, Mr Wilders said: "We'll organise that."

The Dutch Moroccan Alliance (SMN) said he had crossed a legal boundary by targeting a specific group of people.

Video footage of the rally is being circulated on social media with some critics drawing comparisons between Mr Wilders and Adolf Hitler's call for the "irrevocable removal" of Jews from German life.

They accuse the outspoken politician of alluding to a promise of action that, taken to its literal conclusion, could resemble ethnic cleansing. » | Anna Holligan | BBC News | The Hague | Thursday, March 20, 2014

Crimea Will Return to Ukrainian Jurisdiction, Says Minister

BBC: Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Leonid Polyakov has said that Crimea has not been lost to Russia, and insisted it was just a matter of time before it came back under Ukrainian jurisdiction.

He also told the BBC's Chris Morris that they are still deciding whether to withdraw Ukrainian troops and their families from Crimea. (+ BBC video) » | Thursday, March 20, 2014

Anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church Leader Fred Phelps Dies

Phelps was an ordained Baptist minister, although his church
was not affiliated with any mainstream denomination

BBC: The former leader of a US church that was widely known for its inflammatory anti-gay protests has died, his family has said.

The Reverend Fred Phelps Sr, founder of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas, died on Wednesday evening at 84.

The church, made up mostly of his family, rose to international notoriety with its practice of picketing funerals of fallen US troops.

It claimed their deaths were punishment for America's tolerance of gays.

'Diabolical'

Their signs read "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "Thank God for 9/11" and the like, and bore messages offensive to gay and lesbian people. » | Thursday, March 20, 2014

West Creating 'Permissive Environment' for Vladimir Putin?

Mar. 20, 2014 - 6:22 - Reaction from Andrew Kuchins, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

Obama: US to Impose Additional Costs on Russia

Mar. 20, 2014 - 4:58 - President makes statement on Ukraine crisis

Tit for Tat: Russia Hits US Officials with Sanctions, as Obama Expands Penalties

FOX NEWS: The Russian government slapped sanctions on top U.S. officials on Thursday, moments after President Obama imposed penalties on 20 Russians inside and outside the government -- as diplomatic efforts over Ukraine unraveled into a long-distance tit for tat.

The newest sanctions would bar nine American officials from entering Russia. The list includes House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.; and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

Just as Vladimir Putin's government shrugged off U.S. sanctions earlier in the week, so did the Americans targeted by Moscow.

"The Speaker is proud to be included on a list of those willing to stand against Putin's aggression," Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement.

McCain tweeted that he's "proud to be sanctioned by Putin."

As each side imposes sanctions, left unclear is whether any of them will have an effect on the standoff over Russia's widely challenged annexation of Crimea. (+ FoxNews video) » | FoxNews with The Associated Press | Thursday, March 20, 2014

Gay Atheist Goes to Town on Islam "How Are You Going to Put a PR Spin on That!"

Pat Condell: A Society of Cowards

We're getting what we deserve.

Worlds Apart: 'US Thinks Rules Are for Inferior Nations, It's In Their DNA' – Ex-Australian PM

Kosovo's secession demonstrated that international law is only as applicable as the force used to back it. But with Crimea now free on the wings of that precedent, the West cries foul. Why does the Western world fail to recognize parallels between Kosovo and Crimea? Is it a case of double standards or the result of decades of adversarial EU and NATO policies towards Russia? Oksana is joined by former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser to canvass these issues.

THE GUARDIAN: Ukraine: there's no way out unless the west understands its past mistakes: Western leaders mostly paint the whole dispute as totally one-sided: it is all Russia’s fault. But the Crimea crisis is directly related to the misguided steps taken after the Soviet Union’s fall » | Malcolm Fraser | Monday, March 03, 2014

THE WASHINGTON POST: How the Ukraine crisis ends » | Henry A. Kissinger | Wednesday, March 05, 2014

Obama Imposes New Sanctions, Warns Russia Against Further Escalation

LOS ANGELES TIMES: WASHINGTON — President Obama on Thursday announced new economic sanctions against Russian government officials, influential individuals and a Russian bank, threatening to come back with tougher penalties if Moscow does not deescalate the crisis in Ukraine.

“Further escalation will only isolate it further from the international community,” Obama said in remarks on the South Lawn of the White House. The U.S. is concerned that "Russia has positioned its military" in a threatening way, he added.

The president said the new sanctions would target additional senior Russian government officials, other individuals with "substantial resources and influence," and a bank. He also signed an executive order that would allow him to slap broader sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy, a move that “is not our preferred outcome,” Obama said, acknowledging that such sanctions could be “disruptive” to the global economy. » | Kathleen Hennessey and Christi Parsons | Thursday, March 20, 2014

You'll Never Guess Who Loves Putin

Vladimir Putin is getting all sorts of love from America. Republican hawks have been impressed with the Russian autocrat's machismo, while social conservatives can't help but tip their hat to his anti-gay policies. The latter category welcomed the evangelist Franklin Graham to its ranks this month. Graham, the son of Rev. Billy Graham, praised Putin...* What do other right wingers including Pat Buchanan have to say about this (versus what they have to say about President Obama)? The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur breaks it down.

'Abby Can Criticise But Cenk Uygur Lost His Job': Martin & A Young Turk

Host and founder of the Young Turks, Cenk Uygur, discussing why he left his job at MSNBC, the corporate media's superficial coverage of news events and the recipe for success in alternative media.

The Young Turks »

Nirgends ist die EU so russisch wie in Lettland

Nach dem politischen Anschluss der Krim baut Russland seine militärische Kontrolle über die Halbinsel aus. Nicht nur in der Ukraine, auch in anderen Staaten der ehemaligen Sowjetunion mit grossen russischen Minderheiten verfolgt man die Vorgänge auf der Krim intensiv. Zum Beispiel in der zweitgrössten Stadt Lettlands, in Daugavpils.

G8 stellen Russland aufs Abstellgleis

Klare Worte Richtung Moskau: Merkel sieht Russland gegenwärtig nicht mehr im Kreis der Top-Wirtschaftsnationen. Die sieben westlichen Industriestaaten dürften bald über einen Ausschluss entscheiden.