Crimean Parliament Declares Independence

The Crimean parliament declared independence from Ukraine Monday after official results showed 96.77 percent of Crimean voters chose to join Russia in Sunday's referendum.

The legislature passed an independence declaration during an extraordinary session, proclaiming the Black Sea peninsula an independent sovereign state, the Republic of Crimea, Xinhua reported.

The declaration appeals to the UN and its member states to recognise its existence and promises to "build its relations with other states on the basis of equality, peace, good neighborliness and other universally recognized principles of political, economic and cultural cooperation."

The parliament has also formally sent an application to the Kremlin to join the Russian Federation as a new republic.

A delegation of Crimean authorities is expected to arrive in Moscow later to discuss the procedure of Crimea's integration into Russia's economic and legal system.

Earlier in the month, the Crimean parliament voted to become part of Russia and passed a resolution of declaration of independence, paving the way for Sunday's referendum.

Ukrainian authorities have dismissed the referendum as "illegal", saying it violated the country's constitution.

"Crimea is a territory of the Ukrainian state. Our citizens reside there. We do not recognise and will never recognise the so-called referendum," Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said.

Western countries including the US, France, Germany and Britain also rejected the referendum, calling the vote "illegal" and "contrary to the Ukrainian constitution".

US President Barack Obama said the US would not recognise the Crimean referendum and vowed to impose fresh sanctions on Russia.

In his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone, Obama said the vote in the Ukraine's autonomous republic violated the Ukrainian constitution, Xinhua quoted the White House as saying Sunday.

It was also held "under duress of Russian military intervention", Obama said.

He told Putin that "Russia's actions were in violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and that, in coordination with our European partners, we are prepared to impose additional costs on Russia for its actions".

Putin refused to back off.

"Putin said the Crimean population's vote is proceeding in full compliance with international law," the Kremlin web site said, citing the telephone conversation between the leaders.

"Russia will respect the choice of Crimean residents," Putin said, adding that he was concerned about the aggravation of the situation in eastern and southeastern regions of Ukraine.

But Putin and Obama agreed to continue searching for ways to restore stability in Ukraine.

Washington has canceled trade talks and military exchanges with Russia, and Obama has authorised visa bans and freezing of assets of some Russians and Ukrainians blamed for Moscow's military takeover of Crimea.

Putin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier that Russia would "respect the choice" of the Crimeans.

Merkel, however, underscored the urgency of holding direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, a German government spokesperson said.

The German chancellor said the existing presence of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Ukraine should be quickly expanded.

She stressed that it was urgent and necessary for the governments of Russia and Ukraine to hold direct talks.

Washington and its allies have been pushing for Moscow to withdraw its military personnel posted in bases in Crimea, home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, allow international monitors into Crimea and to open a dialogue with the Ukrainian government.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius denied the legitimacy of Crimea's referendum, urging Russia to take immediate measures to avoid a "useless" and "dangerous" escalation of Ukrainian crisis.

"Nothing in the way that the referendum has been conducted should convince anyone that it is a legitimate exercise," British Foreign Secretary William Hague said.

The European Union said the referendum in Crimea was "illegal and illegitimate" and its outcome "will not be recognised".

Moscow Saturday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution while China abstained.

The resolution, drawn up by the US and backed by Western countries, called on international organisations to ignore the results of the voting in Crimea.

"China holds an objective and fair position on the Ukraine issue," Liu Jieyi, Chinese permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council.

"The vote by the Security Council at this juncture will only result in confrontation and further complicate the situation," said Liu.

Crimea, historically part of the Russian Federation, was transferred to Ukraine in May 1954, then a republic of the Soviet Union.

In 1992, the Crimean Supreme Council (parliament) declared independence pending a referendum which was called off by the Ukrainian authorities.

Crimea held two other referendum in 1991 and 1994, testing voters' preference for greater autonomy within Ukraine or uniting with Russia.

The Crimean Supreme Council passed a resolution of declaration of independence March 11 this year to pave the way for Sunday's referendum.

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India Lose To Sri Lanka By Five Runs In World T20 Warm-Up

Indian team's batting woes continued in the familiar sub-continental conditions as they lost their opening warm-up tie of the ICC World T20 against Sri Lanka by five runs on Monday.

Batting first, Sri Lanka scored 153 for six and then bowled out India for 148 in exactly 20 overs.

Needing 12 off the last over bowled by Lasith Malinga, Indians could get only six as the Lankan slinger finished with figures of 4 for 30 from four overs. Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not bat in this unofficial match.

India's inability to finish a close match again came to the fore as the likes of Suresh Raina (41), Yuvraj Singh (33) and Virat Kohli (17) all failed to convert their starts.

Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round show (3 for 22 and 19 runs) was the lone bright spot in the opening encounter.

India were off to a disastrous start as Shikhar Dhawan (2) played a lazy shot off Kulasekara to be holed out at mid-off while Rohit Sharma (4) was caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary off a Malinga delivery.

Ravichandran Ashwin's all-round show (3 for 22 and 19 runs) was the lone bright spot in the opening encounter.

India were off to a disastrous start as Shikhar Dhawan (2) played a lazy shot off Kulasekara to be holed out at mid-off while Rohit Sharma (4) was caught at the deep mid-wicket boundary off a Malinga delivery.

ALSO SEE Sangakkara to retire from T20Is after World T20

Raina looked more comfortable on a low-bounce track as he played those customary lofted shots in the region between extra cover and mid-off. He also lofted Kulasekara for a six over mid-wicket.

He was looking good for a big knock as he reached 41 with the help of five fours and a six. But the 31st ball he faced saw him fail to reach to the pitch of the delivery. Ajantha Mendis was the bowler and Raina couldn't clear Rangana Herath at long off boundary.

Ajinkya Rahane offered a simple return catch to Sachitra Senanayeke as India were in deep trouble at 56 for four.

Yuvraj was having a bit of trouble initially reading Senanayeke's deliveries but he broke the shackles by coming down the track to hit left-arm spinner Rangana Herath over long-on for a six. He also picked up Mendis' carom ball early to hit another six over long on.

Kohli started off on a promising note smacking 17 off only eight balls as the duo added 32 runs in quick time before Malinga struck.

Coming back for his second spell, Malinga got Kohli to play away from his body and he dragged it back onto the stumps. Yuvraj was gone trying to steer Kulasekara and Sangakkara took a fine diving catch behind the stumps.

The left-hander hit two sixes and two fours in his 28-ball stay at the crease. Once Yuvraj was gone, it was difficult for the others to finish the game.

Earlier, Ashwin gave a good account of himself as two-time finalists Sri Lanka upped the ante in the end to put on a competitive total after being sent into bat.

Ashwin ended with impressive figures of three for 22 in his four-over spell as the batsmen had lot of trouble playing their strokes on a slowish track at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

Amit Mishra (1 for 38 from four overs) got some stick but also bowled a few good balls while Raina (1 for 12) was lucky to get a wicket.

Nuwan Kulasekara with 21 off 14 balls and Thisara Perera with 18 from 11 deliveries added 30 runs in the last three overs to take the score past 150.

Among the pacers, Varun Aaron worked up good pace in his three overs to end with one for 18 as Mahela Jayawardene (30) and skipper Dinesh Chandimal (29) were the only ones in the top-order, who looked like scoring a few runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken for 17 runs in his final over as he finished with figures of none for 33 from three overs.

Mohammed Shami's inspiring effort in the field definitely helped in lifting the spirit of the team. Having bowled an over at full tilt, the speedster stationed at mid-off dived full stretched to take a brilliant one-handed catch that dismissed Kusal Janith Perera (21) off Aaron's bowling.

Dilshan, on the otherhand, looked ill at ease both against pacers as well as spinners as he simply could not get off the blocks.

Jayawardene, however, looked attacking from the start as his mistimed pull shot off Shami went over Dhoni's head for a boundary. But the very next shot was a beauty as he bisected the point and gully fielder to find another boundary.

When Ravindra Jadeja was introduced into the attack, Jayawardene muscled him behind square leg boundary for a six.

The veteran right-hander slog swept leggie Amit Mishra over square leg for another maximum.

But Mishra had his revenge off the very next ball when he varied the length. He altered it by a feet and Jayawardene was induced into playing early offering an easy return catch which Mishra had no problems in pouching.

Finally, Dilshan's misery ended when he was adjudged leg before after being struck on the frontfoot trying to flick an Ashwin delivery. Sangakkara played the worst shot among the top order batsmen as he literally gifted Raina a wicket.

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Nissan Datsun Go To Be Launched In India On March 19

One of the most eagerly awaited hatches, the Datsun GO will be launched in India on March 19 in New Delhi.

The Indian launch will mark the brand's return to the world stage after decades. We have driven the Datsun GO and the entry-level hatchback justifies all the hype surrounding it.

Nissan revived the Datsun brand with a focus on affordable entry-level cars.

The car's production started last month at the company's Oragadam facility in Tamil Nadu. It will be priced under Rs 4 lakh, but does not feel cheap and is quite good-looking for an entry level car.

The GO has good cabin space and performance is more than enough for the urban commute.

The car has 170mm of ground clearance and gets 13-inch steel rims. Safety, however, is not up to the mark with none of the model trims getting ABS or airbags even as options.

The car will be powered by 1.2-litre, three-cylinder petrol which gives 67PS and 106Nm of torque.

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Huawei Confirms Dual-OS Smartphone For Q2 Release

Huawei has confirmed that a dual-OS smartphone will be available in the US in Q2 2014, running Android and Windows Phone operating systems.

Huawei's chief marketing officer, Shao Yang in an interview with TrustedReviews, has shed some light on the company's upcoming smartphone plans.

Yang was quoted as saying, "We are still committed to making Windows Phone devices. Compared with Android, the priority of Windows Phone is much lower but is still one of our choices of OS. We are definitely using a multi OS strategy."

It seems that despite Microsoft's desperate push (evinced by co-marketing reports in the past), device manufacturers like Huawei still consider its Windows Phone OS a secondary option to Google's Android.

Yang further said, "With Windows Phone, one direction for us - and one that we are now following - is dual-OS. Dual-OS as in Android and Windows together."

Yang claimed that the dual-OS device could be a new option of consumers who have been offered Android or Windows Phone on a device, and not both operating systems in a single device.

"If it is Windows only, maybe people will not find it as easy a decision to buy the phone. If they have the Android and Windows together, you can change it as you wish and it is much easier for people to choose Windows Phone," added Yang.

The technical details of the dual-OS implementation are not clear as of now, whether the Android and Windows Phone operating systems would be offered through a dual-boot menu at the start-up of the Huawei smartphone, or if the user would be able to switch between the two operating systems at any point.

Huawei might have confirmed its dual-OS smartphone for this year; however, Asus seems to have cancelled its plans for launching a dual-OS tablet which was expected to be launched this year.

Wall Street Journal in a report has suggested that the Taiwanese manufacturer had to suspend its plan under pressure of Google and Microsoft.

An earlier report had claimed that Microsoft, in an attempt to promote its mobile and tablet ecosystem, was considering offering free versions of Windows Phone and Windows RT to device makers.

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'Good Night': Haunting Final Contact From Missing Malaysian Airlines Jet

The last words from the cockpit of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 - "all right, good night" - were uttered after someone on board had already begun disabling one of the plane's automatic tracking systems, a senior Malaysian official said.

Both the timing and informal nature of the phrase, spoken to air traffic controllers as the plane with 239 people aboard was leaving Malaysian-run airspace on a March 8 flight to Beijing, could further heighten suspicions of hijacking or sabotage.

The sign-off came after one of the plane's data communication systems, which would have enabled it to be tracked beyond radar coverage, had been deliberately switched off, Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on Sunday.

"The answer to your question is yes, it was disabled before," he told reporters when asked if the ACARS system - a maintenance computer that sends back data on the plane's status - had been deactivated before the voice sign-off.

The pilot's informal hand-off went against standard radio procedures, which would have called for him to read back instructions for contacting the next control centre and include the aircraft's call sign, said Hugh Dibley, a former British Airways pilot and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Investigators are likely to examine the recording for any signs of psychological stress and to determine his identity to confirm whether the flight deck had been taken over by hijackers or the pilot himself was involved, he said.

Malaysian investigators are trawling through the backgrounds of the pilots, crew and ground staff who worked on the missing Boeing 777-200ER for clues as to why someone on board flew it perhaps thousands of miles off course.

Background checks of passengers have drawn a blank but not every country whose nationals were on board has responded to requests for information, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said.

No trace of the plane has been found more than a week after it vanished but investigators believe it was diverted by someone with deep knowledge of the plane and commercial navigation.

Malaysia briefed envoys from nearly two dozen nations and appealed for international help in the search for the plane along two arcs stretching from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the far south of the Indian Ocean.

"The search area has been significantly expanded," Hishammuddin said. "From focusing mainly on shallow seas, we are now looking at large tracts of land, crossing 11 countries, as well as deep and remote oceans."

The plane's disappearance has baffled investigators and aviation experts. It disappeared from civilian air traffic control screens off Malaysia's east coast less than an hour after taking off from Kuala Lumpur en route to Beijing.

Malaysian authorities believe that, as the plane crossed the country's northeast coast and flew across the Gulf of Thailand, someone on board shut off its communications systems and turned sharply to the west.

Electronic signals it continued to exchange periodically with satellites suggest it could have continued flying for nearly seven hours after flying out of range of Malaysianmilitary radar off the northwest coast, heading towards India.

The plane had enough fuel to fly for about seven-and-a-half to eight hours, Malaysia Airlines' Chief Executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said.

Malaysian officials briefed ambassadors from 22 countries on the progress of the investigation and appealed for international cooperation, diplomats said on Sunday.

PILOTS' HOMES SEARCHED

On Saturday, police special branch officers searched the homes of the captain, 53-year-old Zaharie Ahmad Shah, and first officer, 27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid, in middle-class suburbs of Kuala Lumpur close to the international airport.

An experienced pilot, Zaharie has been described by current and former co-workers as a flying enthusiast who spent his days off operating a life-sized flight simulator he had set up at home.

Police chief Khalid said investigators had taken the flight simulator for examination by experts.

Earlier, a senior police official said the flight simulator programmes were closely examined, adding they appeared to be normal ones that allow players to practice flying and landing in different conditions.

Police sources said they were looking at the personal, political and religious backgrounds of both pilots and the other crew members. Khalid said ground support staff who might have worked on the plane were also being investigated.

A second senior police official told media investigators had found no links between Zaharie, a father of three grown-up children and a grandfather, and any militant group.

Postings on his Facebook page suggest the pilot was a politically active opponent of the coalition that has ruled Malaysia for the 57 years since independence.

A day before the plane vanished, Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was convicted of sodomy and sentenced to five years in prison, in a ruling his supporters and international human rights groups say was politically influenced.

Asked if Zaharie's background as an opposition supporter was  being examined, the first senior police officer would say only: "We need to cover all our bases."

"Malaysia Airlines has said it did not believe Zaharie would have sabotaged the plane and colleagues were incredulous." Please, let them find the aircraft first. Zaharie is not  suicidal, not a political fanatic as some foreign media are saying," a Malaysia Airlines pilot who is close to Zaharie told Reuters.

"Is it wrong for anyone to have an opinion about politics?" Co-pilot Fariq was religious and serious about his career, family and friends said. The two pilots had not made any request to fly together.

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Djokovic Beats Federer To Win Indian Wells ATP Masters

World number two Novak Djokovic of Serbia outclassed Roger Federer by tiebreaker to win the Indian Wells ATP Masters title for the third time, Xinhua reported Monday.

The Serb beat Federer 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) Sunday to add another title to those he captured in the California desert in 2008 and 2011.

"I think I played a good game to break back," Federer said. "Got the first serve returns back, and then played well from the baseline.

"He  took advantage of that," he said. "So it was an interesting end to the match, no doubt.

"I think he played well. At the end he made sure he kept the ball in play and I might have made a few too many errors when it really mattered," said Federer.

The Swiss had won the event four times: in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2012.

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Kiran Kumar Reddy Unveils 'Footwear' As Party Symbol

Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Sunday unveiled 'footwear' as the election symbol of his newly launched Jai Samaikyandhra Party.

Moving swiftly after the launch of his party on the 'unified Andhra Pradesh' plank last week, Reddy made the announcement at a function in Visakhapatnam. "JSP has got the approval of the Election Commission to use footwear as its poll symbol," a party official said. According to a statement issued by the party, footwear was chosen as the symbol as it not only bears the burden of the wearer, but also protects.

"Footwear is also a sign of equality as it offers similar protection to everyone, irrespective of religion, caste, creed or class," it said. Besides, footwear is owned even by the poorest of the poor, the party said recalling that the footwear of Lord Rama inspired Bharat in achieving 'Rama Rajya'.

Reddy, who quit as Chief Minister in protest against state's division, launched JSP on March 12 during which he had symbolically displayed a piece of the wall which was broken for the unification of Germany to drive home the point that Seemandhra and Telangana can come together again.

The Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held simultaneously in undivided Andhra Pradesh on April 30 and May 7.

Meanwhile, Reddy held a meeting with a group of IT professionals in Hyderabad on Saturday. He plans to undertake interactions with other sections of the society in Seemandhra to reach out to them in the run-up to the polls.

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