The referendum on independence in Crimea was conducted in strict accordance with democratic principles and the international law, President Vladimir Putin told the Federal Assembly, as he was welcomed by a standing ovation. Putin stressed that the results of the referendum, in which more than 82 percent of Crimean residents came to polling stations and more than 96 percent of those voted for rejoining... 

Slavic Union head Dmitry Demushkin takes part in the Russian March in Moscow. Dmitry Dyomushkin has been found guilty of organizing a “criminal organization” after it was established that his group, the Slavic Union was renamed and continued to operate despite a legal ban. A district communist magistrate court in Moscow sentenced the nationalist to a fine that should be then be lifted due... 

Crimea has declared independence from Ukraine and formally applied to join Russia, following a referendum in which Crimeans overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation. The Crimean Supreme Council passed the decree on Monday after all the 85 lawmakers present in the 100-seat assembly voted in support of seceding from Ukraine. “The Supreme Council of the Autonomous Republic of... 

The United States says it does not recognize the outcome of the referendum held in the Ukrainian region of Crimea and is preparing to impose retaliatory penalties against Russia if it annexes the strategic peninsula on the Black Sea. “The United States has steadfastly supported the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine since it declared its independence in 1991, and we... 

Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk Ukraine’s interim prime minister says the country will likely sign a long-awaited political accord with the European Union next week. Arseniy Yatsenyuk made the announcement on Wednesday, after talks with US President Barack Obama at the White House. “I’m sure that next week Ukraine is to sign the political part of the association agreement... 

Over 95 percent of voters in the Crimean referendum have answered ‘yes’ to the autonomous republic joining Russia and less than 5 percent of the vote participants want the region to remain part of Ukraine, according to preliminary results. With over 75 percent of the votes already counted, preliminary result show that 95.7 percent of voters said ‘yes’ to the reunion of the republic... 

The EU threatens the abolition of its trade agreement with the US, and other deals, if blanket surveillance by the NSA on EU citizens doesn’t stop. MEPs announced a resolution that wraps up a six-month inquiry into America’s violation of data privacy. Edward Snowden became one of the pillars of this resolution, following an invitation from the European Parliament to provide testimony for the inquiry.... 

Jordanian lawmakers have demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Amman over the recent killing of a Palestinian-Jordanian judge by the Zionist regime’s forces. All 150 members of Jordan’s lower house of parliament signed on a Wednesday statement demanding the expulsion of Tel Aviv’s envoy and recalling of the Jordanian ambassador to Israel. The legislative statement further stated... 

Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader Ed Miliband. Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader has pledged to hold a vote on the country’s membership of the European Union only if more powers are transferred to Brussels. On Tuesday, Ed Miliband said he would announce his strategy regarding the vote in detail during a speech on Wednesday. “I am announcing that the next Labour... 

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key New Zealand Prime Minister John Key says the island country is set to hold a vote within the next three years on changing the design of the national flag. In a speech at Victoria University in the capital Wellington on Tuesday, Key announced plans to hold the referendum by 2017 on replacing the current flag with a new design. The New Zealand ensign features the Union... 

Russia is ready to retaliate with counter sanctions against the EU and US if they go ahead with economic measures against Russia over tension in Crimea, the Russian Economic Ministry has said. “We hope that there will only be targeted political sanctions, and not a broad package affecting economic trade,” Deputy Economic Development Minister Aleksey Likhachev said. “Our sanctions will be,... 

Grainy footage apparently shows Russian tanks on the way to the Donetsk region border. Ukraine warned last night that 80,000 Russian troops were massing on its borders and could invade – as world leaders told Vladimir Putin to back off. A senior security chief in Kiev said Moscow could launch a full-scale invasion and Russian troops would be in the Ukrainian capital within ‘two or three hours’... 

Australia has announced plans to buy a fleet of giant US drones to help patrol the nation’s borders, monitoring energy infrastructure and attempts to enter the country illegally. On Thursday, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the Triton Unmanned Aerial Vehicles would be based in the southern city of Adelaide, AFP reported. “These aircraft will patrol Australia’s vast ocean... 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal Saudi Arabia has threatened to block Qatar by land and sea amid a simmering row between the two Arab states over Doha’s links with the Muslim Brotherhood and the role of al-Jazeera television station. According to a report published by US-based newspaper Huffington Post, the threats were made during a private meeting between the foreign ministers of the... 

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has called for the full reoccupation of the besieged Gaza Strip amid rising tensions in the region. Lieberman made the remarks on Israel’s Channel 2 television following a retaliatory attack by Palestinian resistance movement, Islamic Jihad, against the Israeli regime earlier on Wednesday. “Following an attack like this — a barrage of more than...