Crimea Votes for Secession

End of the Age News

By John Hamilton

  

Crime Votes for Secession

 

On Sunday, residents of Crimea voted in a referendum to decide whether or not to cut ties with Ukraine and join Russia. Shortly after, RIA news agency reported that 93 percent of participants voted in favor of seceding from Ukraine.

 

The United States and Europe condemned the referendum, claiming that it is illegal under Ukrainian law, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made it clear that the United States will not accept the outcome of the vote.

 

In response to the decision to vote on secession, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk spoke out in opposition to separatist leaders, saying, “We will find all of them – if it takes one year, two years – and bring them to justice and try them in Ukrainian and international courts. The ground will burn under their feet.”

 

The White House has told Russia that sanctions are to be expected. Likewise, this week, European Union foreign ministers will decide on which steps to take in response to Russia’s military occupation of Crimea.

 

Iran Attempting to Acquire Supplies for Nuclear Program

 

An unnamed U.S. Official has confirmed that Iran is currently attempting to procure items for its missile and nuclear programs.

 

It should be noted that procurement of the supplies would not violate the interim deal that Iran and six other nations agreed to last year. However, the trade of such goods would breach an embargo that the United Nations placed on Iran to restrict any nation from providing Iran with materials that could be used to further develop it’s nuclear & missile programs.

 

Vann Van Diepen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation had much to say about the subject. When asked if he had seen any change in Iran’s procurement activities since last year, Van Diepen said: “The short answer is no.”

 

“They still continue very actively trying to procure items for their nuclear program and missile program and other programs,”

“We continue to see them very actively setting up and operating through front companies, falsifying documentation, engaging in multiple levels of trans-shipment … to put more apparent distance between where the item originally came from and where it is ultimately going.”

 

Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 was Hijacked

 

According to a Malaysian government official, investigators are no longer trying to determine why the Malaysian airlines jet carrying 238 passengers disappeared on March 8th; investigators have concluded that the jet was hijacked.

 

The investigation into the hijacking now turns to the motivation behind the act. There are many theories about the potential motive, but few facts.

 

A controversial picture of the pilot who was at the helm of flight 370 has surfaced. The Captain, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, can be seen in the picture wearing a t-shirt with the words “democracy is dead” printed on it. It is being reported that Shah is an avid supporter of an opposition leader in his country who was jailed just a few short hours before the Boeing 777 disappeared.

 

Although it is possible that Shah was NOT the one who disabled the tracking device on the plane shortly after takeoff and flew the plane off course, he has not been ruled out as a suspect.