Update on Ukraine.
After former president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted on Saturday, Feb. 22, an interim government was presented at the Maidan, the square that is the main protest camp, on Thursday, Feb. 27, led by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and President Olexander Turchynov. Presidential elections will be held in May. Crimea, a Russian majority portion of the Ukraine, wishes for more self-rule, and Yatsenyuk, among others, warns Russia to not intervene in Ukrainian affairs. On Friday, Feb. 28, Ukrainian interior minister Avakov said the armed men that took over an airport in the Crimea region are Russian troops.
The Washington Post has more on this development.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/ukraine-calls-russian-troops-invasion/2014/02/28/e066bfc8-a0be-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html?hpid=z1
Learn more about the Ukraine’s new political state from the BBC.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26366700
The New York Times has live updates on Ukraine.
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/live-coverage-tensions-in-ukraine/?_php=true&_type=blogs&hp&_r=0
Remnants of military fortress found beneath Alcatraz.
Researchers from Texas A&M used a ground-penetrating radar in the rec area of Alcatraz to see if parts of a military fortress that operated during the second half of the 19th century were still there. They found tunnels and what could be a buried caponier. Archaeologists could soon start excavations.
The BBC has more about this exciting discovery.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-26233170
Warlords on campaign tickets in Afghanistan.
Six of the 11 campaigns for the presidential election on April 5 include at least one candidate widely considered a warlord. American officials are showing no preference for any of the candidates to avoid accusations of election fraud and because there is evidence that Americans have aided some of the warlords in the past. All the candidates say they will sign the bilateral security agreement with the US upon election.
There’s more on Afghanistan’s elections at the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/world/asia/warlords-with-dark-pasts-battle-in-afghan-election.html?ref=world
Syria making progress in destruction of chemical weapons.
After missed deadlines, Syria delivered a significant amount of mustard gas to be destroyed. This came after the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons met to discuss Syria’s missed deadlines. Syria wishes for an extension, giving them more time to get rid of the weapons, but with the extension, the weapons could not be destroyed by the end of June.
The New York Times has more on Syria’s chemical weapons.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/world/middleeast/syria.html?ref=world
Venezuela must choose between Carnaval and protests.
With Carnaval approaching, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is hoping the fire in the protests of the last few weeks will die down as a result of the partying, which ends with Mardi Gras. Protest leaders say that will not happen. Although not all of the country is protesting, most of the population is unhappy about their economy.
Read more about the Venezuelan protests from the Washington Post.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/carnaval-could-sap-venezuela-protests/2014/02/26/50088b96-9f10-11e3-878c-65222df220eb_story.html
