One of the reasons Kiev‘s putting its faith in the loyalty of its new National Guard, is arguably because morale within army units is wavering – with some soldiers already switching sides. Paula Slier talked to some of the those who, just days ago, didn‘t expect they would be ordered to use force against their own people.

“Last night, no representatives from any Ukrainian organization were in Slavyansk, but for saboteurs and criminals,” the press service said, adding that it was proved by the investigation Ukrainian law enforcers were carrying out in that town. (..)

The Ukrainian Security Service denied media reports that Right Sector radicals had taken part in the skirmish.

“There are two obvious ways,” she said. “Number one is adoption of the necessary laws and changes to the Constitution that would allow the Ukrainians to feel harmony, understanding, and integrity of their territory.”
“This implies, among other things, a much stronger local self-government, including the right to elect the local bodies of power,” said Tymoshenko, whose past political record includes performance in the capacity of prime minister. “Number two is financial independence of our regions.”

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Laut diesem Plan werde Washington nur in den wenigen Bereichen mit Russland kooperieren, in denen die Interessen beider Länder identisch sind. Im System der internationalen Beziehungen wollen die USA Moskau ignorieren und auf eine internationale Isolation Moskaus hinarbeiten, so das Blatt.

A casus belli – genuine, manufactured or coerced? Every such incident will now continually raise that spectre.

A need for a timely, competent and transparent police investigation into each and every incident that will probably follow is now required. And one that is perceived to be independent by victims, offenders and the public at large alike.

Ukraine‘s Interior Ministry, which confirmed that three men were shot dead and three others were injured during the incident, adding that it believed the event to be fabricated.

In a statement on its website, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) called the incident a „cynical provocation“ and said it, too, believed the whole thing was staged.

Russia‘s RIA Novosti and Life News blamed the far-right nationalist group Right Sector for instigating the gun battle. In a video report, Life News showed what it said was the body of one man killed during the shootout next to weapons, ammunition and gear left behind by Right Sector members at the scene. It also showed crisp U.S. $100 bills, uncreased printed satellite images of Slovyansk from Google Maps.

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Auch Milizen-Anführer Ponomarjow meldete sich auf einer Pressekonferenz zu Wort. Er bat die russische Regierung, Friedenstruppen in die Region zu entsenden, um die Menschen vor der Nationalgarde und dem Rechten Sektor zu schützen. (…)

Ein Sprecher der beschuldigten Ultranationalisten wies die Vorwürfe empört zurück. Er machte russische Spezialkräfte für den Angriff verantwortlich.

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The World Bank Group pushes privatization as a key solution to the water crisis. It is the largest funder of water management in the developing world, with loans and financing channeled through the group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC). Since the 1980s, the IFC has been promoting these water projects as part of a broader set of privatization policies, with loans and financing tied to enacting austerity measures designed to shrink the state, from the telecom industry to water utilities.

I was asked to give testimony today before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on two topics that may seem largely unconnected: the vitality and adequacy of the AUMF for the conflict the United States is currently fighting and the NSA surveillance programs that have, of late, dominated news headlines. Rather than simply posting my testimony, I have adapted it into an essay.

(01.04.) The law provided the legal groundwork for the administration’s aggressive counterterrorism strategy, from armed drone strikes to “kill/capture” missions, raids similar to the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011.

One option that Senate supporters of repealing or dramatically replacing the law have considered is a push to include language in the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2015 defense budget bill. That measure is a must-pass bill and will likely begin working its way through the Senate this spring.

That is why we tell everyone: “Come and see!” In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast… “Come and see!”: Love is more powerful, love gives life, love makes hope blossom in the wilderness.
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By your resurrection, which this year we celebrate together with the Churches that follow the Julian calendar, we ask you to enlighten and inspire the initiatives that promote peace in Ukraine so that all those involved, with the support of the international community, will make every effort to prevent violence and, in a spirit of unity and dialogue, chart a path for the country’s future.

Angesichts der Krise in der Ukraine betete der Papst dafür, dass die beteiligten Parteien unterstützt von der internationalen Gemeinschaft Anstrengungen unternehmen mögen, „Gewalt zu verhindern und die Zukunft des Landes in einem Geist der Einheit und des Dialogs aufzubauen“.

In Syrien werde schon „allzu lange“ auf Frieden gewartet, sagte Franziskus. Er rief die Konfliktparteien auf, Mut zu beweisen und über den Frieden zu verhandeln.