steve2470
steve2470's Journalchanging time-out threshold from 5 hidden posts to 4
Hi Skinner, it seems you're looking for ways to increase civility. If you leave the jury system alone and decrease the threshold for a time-out to 4 hidden posts, that would increase the civility. Of course, it would also increase the chances of being "timed out" in one bad day and/or by a determined band of alerters.
FWIW I definitely saw an increase in civility when you instituted the 5 hidden posts rule. Keep up the good work.
Putin rebuffs Obama as Ukraine crisis escalates
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin rebuffed a warning from U.S. President Barack Obama over Moscow's military intervention in Crimea, saying on Friday that Russia could not ignore calls for help from Russian speakers in Ukraine.
After an hour-long telephone call, Putin said in a statement that Moscow and Washington were still far apart on the situation in the former Soviet republic, where he said the new authorities had taken "absolutely illegitimate decisions on the eastern, southeastern and Crimea regions.
"Russia cannot ignore calls for help and it acts accordingly, in full compliance with international law," Putin said.
Ukraine's border guards said Moscow had poured troops into the southern peninsula where Russian forces have seized control.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140307
Ukraine says Russian troops in Crimea have doubled to 30,000
Source: Reuters
(Reuters) - Russia now has 30,000 troops in Ukraine's Crimea region, Ukrainian border guards said on Friday, nearly twice the previous figure given by the government in Kiev.
Serhiy Astakhov, aide to the head of border guards service, told Reuters the figure was an estimate and included both troops that had arrived since last week and Russia's Black Sea Fleet, permanently based in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
Read more: http://live.reuters.com/Event/World_News/108508563
Obama to Democrats: Focus on 2014 -- not 2016
http://www.usatoday.com/story/theoval/2014/03/06/obama-2014-2016-elections-democrats-hillary-clinton/6113515/President Obama is telling Democrats to de-emphasize the 2016 presidential election -- for now -- and focus on the congressional elections coming up in November.
Referring back to big Republican wins in 2010, Obama told Democrats in Boston on Wednesday night that too often their voters don't get out in the mid-term congressional elections.
"People tune out, and because the electorate has changed, we get walloped," Obama said at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser. "It's happened before, and it could happen again if we do not fight on behalf of the things we care about in this election."
Republicans won control of the U.S. House in 2010, and are seeking control of the U.S. Senate in November.
Crimea Referendum Moved Forward to March 16 – RIA
Source: Wall Street Journal
*Crimea to Vote on Joining Russian Federation, Regional Deputy PM Says – RIA
Read more: http://on.wsj.com/MPPngc
no other sources besides Ria Novosti yet, will keep looking
accidentally alerted on my own post
sorry ! I'm sure you and/or Earl have seen it by now. Ooops.
Keep up the good work,
Steve
Joint statement by Foreign Ministers of UK, US and Ukraine on Budapest Memorandum
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-by-foreign-ministers-of-uk-us-and-ukraine-on-budapest-memorandumOrganisation:Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Page history: Published 5 March 2014
Topics:Foreign affairs and Europe
Minister:The Rt Hon William Hague MP
World locations:Russia and Ukraine
The Foreign Secretary, John Kerry and Andriy Deshchytsia met in Paris to discuss the Budapest Memorandum.
The Foreign Secretary William Hague, US Secretary of State John Kerry and the interim Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Deshchytsia, met in Paris earlier today as parties to the Budapest memorandum. The memorandum committed those countries to “refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine” in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons. Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, was invited but didn’t attend.
The following statement was agreed.
US/UK/Ukraine Press Statement on the Budapest Memorandum Meeting
On 5 March 2014, US Secretary of State John Kerry hosted a meeting in Paris with the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, William Hague, and the Acting Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andriy Deshchytsia.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the urgent question of the Budapest Memorandum, the agreement signed by the Governments of the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Russia in 1994. The United States had conveyed an invitation to the Russian Federation to the meeting. We deeply regret that the Russian Federation declined to attend.
The Budapest Memorandum sets out the obligations of signatories in return for Ukraine giving up its nuclear weapons. Under its terms, the three parties commit to refrain from the threat or use of force against Ukraine’s territorial integrity. The Memorandum also obliges the UK, US and Russia to consult in the event of a situation arising where the memorandum commitments are questioned.
Ukraine voluntarily surrendered the world’s third largest nuclear weapons arsenal in exchange for these assurances. The three Governments treat these assurances with utmost seriousness, and expect Russia to as well. Russia has chosen to act unilaterally and militarily. The United Kingdom and United States will continue to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and we commend the new Ukrainian government for not taking actions that might escalate the situation. Russia’s continued violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity can only degrade Russia’s international standing and lead to greater political and economic consequences.
In the meeting, the Governments of the United States, United Kingdom and Ukraine discussed steps needed to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity and called on Russia to engage in consultations with Ukraine as they have committed to in the Budapest memorandum.
The United States, United Kingdom and Ukraine agreed that direct talks between Ukraine and Russia, facilitated as needed by members of the international community, are crucial to resolving the current situation. They also agreed that international observers should be deployed immediately in Ukraine, especially in eastern Ukraine and Crimea. The three governments reaffirmed the importance of protecting the rights of all Ukrainian citizens, and believed that international observers would help address any concerns regarding irregular forces, military activity and the treatment of all Ukrainians irrespective of their ethnicity or spoken language.
*official UK government document*
Crowds of volunteers sign up to defend Ukraine at Kiev recruitment offices
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/06/crowds-volunteers-ukraine-kiev-recruitment-offices
The Ukraine crisis may have lurched into the diplomatic realm for the time being, but in Kiev they are not taking any chances.
Crowds of people have lined up this week outside recruitment centres in response to a call for mobilisation over the Russian manoeuvres in Crimea. Officials say the volunteer numbers have exceeded their expectations.
"Recruitment offices … do not have time to accept all comers," said Andriy Parubiy, secretary of the Security and Defence Council.
The photos of crowds queuing by the entrances to the recruitment centres have been posted all over social media. "Men are coming all the time. The mood is determined," the photographer Vlad Sodel wrote alongside a picture of a queue in Kiev posted on Twitter.
EU sanctions target Yanukovych, closest aides
Source: AP
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union says the asset freezes it has imposed against 18 people held responsible for embezzling state funds in Ukraine include the country's ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.
The 28-nation bloc revealed the names of those targeted by its sanctions early Thursday.
The list includes what appear to be Yanukovych's closest aides, including a former interior minister, justice minister, the prosecutor general, the head of the security services and Yanukovych's son.
The sanctions also target former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and his son.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/eu-says-sanctions-imposing-asset-freezes-18-ukrainians-include-ousted-president-yanukovych
UN Chief to send another envoy to east Ukraine
Source: Ria Novosti
NEW YORK, March 5 (RIA Novosti) – UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he would send a third envoy to Ukraine hours after reports that unidentified armed men ordered one of his emissaries to leave Crimea Wednesday.
“I have decided to dispatch the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Mr. Ivan Simonovic, to Ukraine to visit Kiev and the eastern part of Ukraine, including Crimea, to see and monitor the human rights situation there,” Ban said.
Over the weekend, Simonovic is expected to travel to Crimea, which had refused to recognize the new central government in Kiev.
Thousands of unidentified troops under apparent command from Russia have taken control over Ukrainian military bases across the Crimea over the past week. Russian President Vladimir Putin denied that Russian troops are already deployed.
Read more: http://en.ria.ru/world/20140306/188128209/UN-Chief-to-Send-Another-Envoy-to-East-Ukraine.html
Hosts, if Ria Novosti is an unacceptable LBN source, I'll go look for another. Thanks.
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