1 Russian forces seize Crimea (Alison
Smale & David M Herszenhorn in The New York Times) Russian
armed forces effectively seized control of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on
Saturday, as President Vladimir V. Putin had the Russian Parliament grant him
broad authority to use military force in Ukraine in response to deepening
instability there.
Russian troops
stripped of identifying insignia and military vehicles bearing the black
license plates of Russia’s Black Sea force swarmed the major thoroughfares of
Crimea and occupied major government buildings, closing the main airport and
solidifying what had been a covert effort to control the largely pro-Russian
region of Ukraine.
In Moscow, Mr. Putin
convened the upper house of Parliament to forcefully denounce President Obama
and obtain authorization to protect Russian citizens and soldiers stationed in
Crimea as well as other parts of Ukraine. Both actions, military and
parliamentary, were a direct rebuff to Mr. Obama, who on Friday pointedly
warned Russia to respect Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty.
President
Obama accused Russia of a “breach of international law” and condemned the
country’s military intervention, calling it a “clear violation” of Ukrainian
sovereignty. Mr. Obama, who had warned Russia on Friday that “there will be
costs” if Russia violated Ukraine’s sovereignty, spoke with Mr. Putin for 90
minutes on Saturday, according to the White House, and urged Mr. Putin to
withdraw its forces back to its bases in Crimea and to stop “any interference”
in other parts of Ukraine.
In addition to the risk of
open war, it was a day of frayed nerves and set-piece political appeals that
recalled ethnic conflicts of past decades in the former Soviet bloc, from the
Balkans to the Caucasus.
2 India economy slows down (Yogita Limaye on BBC) India's economic growth rate slowed down in the most recent
quarter, according to official figures. The economy expanded at an annual rate
of of 4.7% in the three months to
December, down from 4.8% in the previous quarter. The figure was lower than
analysts had been expecting.
Asia's third-largest economy has
been weighed down by various factors, such as high inflation, a weak currency
and a drop in foreign investment. For the same period in 2012, annual GDP
growth was 4.5%. The figures aren't a
surprise, but they do show just how the slowdown has cemented itself. Sure,
it's a rate the US and Europe can only dream of - but for a country that once
harboured aspirations of double-digit growth, this is pretty bleak.
Job creation is a big worry for India with its large,
young population. It needs to grow much faster to generate enough employment
for its people. So with elections due in a couple of months - both businesses
and ordinary citizens are eagerly watching - with hopes that if a strong
government came to power, things could start turning around for this
languishing Asian giant.
This is the
fifth quarter in a row that India's annual growth rate has been below the 5%
mark.
Two years ago, India's growth rate
stood at about 8%. Economists say the country needs to grow by that much in
order to generate enough jobs for the 13 million people entering the workforce
each year. The numbers are not seen to be good news for the ruling Congress
Party, which faces elections in May.
3
Social media as a bedtime ritual (Khaleej Times) Are you among those who surf Facebook or watch TV before
hitting the sack after a tiring day? You belong to the majority as bedtime
rituals have changed from a good book read to taking resort in the virtual
world before sleep. New research
reveals the average bedtime ritual consists of checking social media networks
four times and watching 17 minutes of television.
Experts
have said that in order to get a good night’s sleep, most people need to unwind
for at least half an hour away from technology before trying to get some
shut-eye. This is not the case anymore. The study by Ergoflex, a
Newcastle-based memory foam mattress company, found that most Britons are quite
active when it comes to bedtime rituals.
The
survey revealed that just under three quarters of them check Twitter or
Facebook within half an hour of going to bed. More than half of those surveyed
watch a TV programme or film, while a similar number - 63 per cent - prepare an
outfit for the next day. Just over half of people read a book and a similar
number make their bed before climbing into it to sleep, said the survey. Experts
now suggest to spend time away from technology before sleeping.
http://khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?section=lifestyle&xfile=/data/lifestyle/2014/March/lifestyle_March1.xml
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