Russian Crimea declared independence from Ukraine

The Parliament in pro-Russian Crimea declared independence from Ukraine as a first step towards joining Russia.

Lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly adopted a “declaration of independence of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea” that will take effect if voters say “yes” to Crimea becoming part of Russia in a referendum set for coming Sunday.

The referendum will ask the people of Crimea to choose between joining Russia and staying with Ukraine as a self-governed autonomy.

The declaration referred to Kosovo's secession from Serbia, which was endorsed by the United Nations International Court of Justice.

Crimean Parliament Speaker Vladimir Konstantinov said the declaration was needed “to make the upcoming referendum legitimate and transparent.”

Ukraine’s Parliament in Kiev hit back threatening to dissolve the Crimean legislature unless it cancels the referendum. In a resolution passed on Tuesday Ukrainian legislators gave the Crimean parliament until Wednesday to comply.

Mr Konstantinov said Crimea will never be part of Ukraine again.

“We are going our own way and we’re trying to do it quickly,” he told reporters in Simferopol, capital of Crimea.

The United States appears to have abandoned hope to persuade Russia to back off on Crimea. Secretary of State John Kerry declined a Russian invitation to visit Moscow this week for talks with President Vladimir Putin.

State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement that Mr Kerry “would welcome further discussions… if and when we see concrete evidence that Russia is prepared to engage on [U.S.] proposals.”

Washington wants Moscow to stop the Crimea referendum and open direct talks with the new government in Kiev. Russia has refused to recognise the new authorities and insisted on rolling back the situation to February 21, when President Viktor Yanukovych signed a West-brokered peace accord with the opposition. The deal fell through the same day as armed protesters stormed government offices and Mr Yanukovych fled Kiev.

Moscow made its point again on Tuesday when Mr Yanukovych reaffirmed that he was still Ukraine’s legitimate President and that power in Kiev had been grabbed by a “band of ultra-nationalists and neo-fascists” bent on starting a “civil war.”

“I declare that presidential elections appointed for May 25 by the clique who seized power in an unconstitutional coup will be absolutely illegitimate and unlawful,” Mr Yanokovych said in a statement he read out in Rostov-on-Don a week after his first press conference in Russia, where he has found shelter.

Contrary to expectations Mr Yanukovych said nothing about the coming referendum in Crimea, apart from mentioning that Crimea was “splitting away” through the fault of the new Ukrainian authorities.

In fresh military muscle flexing Russia launched on Tuesday a second massive war drill this month. The Defence Ministry said 3,500 paratroopers will be dropped from 36 warplanes at an undisclosed location during the three-day “anti-terrorist” exercise, the first such drill in 20 years. Earlier in March Russia held snap war games involving 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s border.

22 killed in Egypt bus crash

22 people were killed and many injured when a bus collided with a parked truck near the Egyptian city of Suez early on Tuesday, state television reported.

The driver of the bus said that he was blinded by the headlights of an oncoming vehicle on the wrong side of the road, state-run newspaper Al-Ahram reported online.

In trying to avoid the car, the bus driver crashed into the truck parked on the carriageway, Al-Ahram reported.

The bus was reportedly on its way from the tourist resort area of South Sinai to the Nile Delta city of al-Mansoura.

Egypt suffers more than 12,000 deaths in road accidents annually, according to the World Health Organisation.

Russia invites Kerry to Moscow-resolving Ukraine crisis

Russia has invited U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to come to Moscow to discuss counter-plans the two sides have drawn up for resolving the Ukraine crisis.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his U.S. counterpart was expected to arrive on Monday but put off the trip to prepare new proposals for Moscow.

It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Kerry delayed his Russia visit to discuss the crisis with Ukraine’s Interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who flew to Washington on Monday for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Mr. Lavrov said he had received the U.S. plan on Sunday and had prepared a Russian reply.

“Our counter-proposals are aimed at bringing the situation [in Ukraine] into the framework of international law taking into account the interests of all Ukrainians in the deep state crisis in that country,” Mr. Lavrov said, at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss the Russian proposals before sending them to Washington.

Mr. Lavrov flew to Sochi to meet Mr. Putin who is attending the Winter Paralympic Games.

Mr. Lavrov said he was not happy with an earlier plan Mr. Kerry had sent him on Friday because it was based on the assumption that “there is a conflict between Russia and Ukraine and there are facts on the ground that should be accepted.”

Russia considers the new authorities in Ukraine illegitimate, saying they came to power through a coup.

U.S. officials said they were anxious to hammer out some agreement with Russia before a March 16 referendum in Crimea on its accession to Russia that could become a point of no return.

“It’s not a done deal,” U.S. deputy national security adviser Tony Blinken told CNN on Sunday. “I think the door is clearly open to resolving this diplomatically.”

He warned that the U.S. will not recognise the referendum results if it leads to Crimea’s split from Ukraine. Crimea’s authorities plan to ask voters to choose between joining Russia and staying with Ukraine with greater self-rule powers.

Ukraine’s Interim Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsya said on Monday that if Crimea’s leaders “want more rights and authority, then we are ready to do this.” Crimea said Russia had already started giving financial aid to the rebellious region even as Kiev blocked its accounts.

“We have enough money to conduct the referendum and pay pensions and salaries,” said Crimea’s Deputy Prime Minister Rustam Temigraliyev.

'probably not terrorists' 19-year-old Iranian, identified by Malaysian police

Interpol has released the names of two Iranians who were travelling on stolen passports aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight, saying they were “probably not terrorists.” Addressing a press conference in the French city of Lyon, Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble gave the men’s names as Pouri Nourmohammadi, 18, and Delavar Seyedmohammadreza, 29.

The men first used their Iranian passports to travel from Doha to Kuala Lumpur, and then boarded the Beijing-bound Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 using stolen Austrian and Italian passports, he said.

Malaysian police earlier named the man travelling on the Austrian passport as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19. Interpol gave his birthday as April 30, 1995.

Speculation over a possible terrorist attack and lax security by airlines was waning “as the belief becomes more certain that these two individuals were probably not terrorists” but “might just be people being smuggled or trafficked” Mr Noble said.

Australian GP : Vettel warns Red Bull to improve car or face 'debacle'

Sydney: Four-time Formula One champion and Red Bull racer Sebastian Vettel has warned his team that they might be facing a debacle unless they improve their car before the season opens at the Australian Grand Prix in two weeks.

The German, who is bidding for a fifth consecutive world title when the season kicks off in Melbourne on March 16, endured a frustrating four-days of testing the new Red Bull car in Bahrain , which concluded on Sunday.

According to News.com.au, Vettel said that just getting to the finish in Australia would be a success for them, adding that if half the drivers fail to finish, then Red Bull might take a few points.

Vettel`s mentor and Red Bull`s adviser Helmut Marko echoed his protegee`s concerns, saying that they have not yet reached where they want to be as the start of the season has come at least two months too early for them, adding that they do not yet know whether they would be able to catch up with the other teams ahead of the Australian GP.

Vettel failed to complete a single lap in testing on Saturday due to electrical issues and problems with the car`s Renault engine, the report added.

RBI :Rupee hits over one-month high, ends 10 paise up

The rupee Wednesday rose to its highest level in over a month and closed 10 paise up at 61.75 against the dollar following sustained selling of American currency by exporters and some banks, amid firm local equities.

At the Interbank Foreign Exchange (Forex) market, the local currency commenced weak at 61.90 a dollar from previous close of 61.85. It eased to a low of 61.92 in early trades.

However, helped by positive cues, the rupee later rebounded to a over one-month intra-day high of 61.6650, before concluding at 61.75 - a rise of ten paise or 0.16%. On Tuesday, it has gained 19 paise or 0.31%.

The benchmark S&P BSE Sensex on Wednesday rallied 67.13 points, or 0.32%, while FIIs purchased shares worth $31.23 million on Tuesday, as per Sebi data.

The dollar index was up 0.1% against a basket of six major global rivals.

The US will be releasing its service PMI and ADP Nonfarm employment data, which will be very significant for the markets, said Abhishek Goenka, founder and CEO, India Forex Advisors.

Pramit Brahmbhatt, CEO, Alpari Financial Services, (India) said: "Taking cues from strong local equities, the rupee appreciated by 10 paise to end the day. Asian currencies traded positively as tensions between Ukraine and Russia lessened. The trading range for the USD/INR pair is expected to be within 61.40 to 62.40." Election Commission announced dates for the high-stakes Lok Sabha elections to be held between April 7 and May 12.

Meanwhile, forward dollar premium ended slightly weak on sustained receipts by exporters.

The benchmark six-month premium payable in August closed a tad lower at 256-257.5 paise from 256.5-257.5 paise previously.

Far forward contracts maturing in February 2015 also softened to 500-502 paise from 503-504.5 paise.

The RBI fixed the reference rate for dollar at 61.8550 and for the euro at 84.9195.

The rupee improved further against the pound to 103.02 from 103.20 and also strengthened to 84.70 per euro from 85.12 previously. It hardened to 60.32 per 100 Japanese yen from 60.75.

AAP IN DANGER ZONE : ATTACK IN DELHI N UP AGAINST AAP

Clashes broke out between workers of the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party in half-a-dozen towns across the country hours after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was briefly detained by police in a north Gujarat town.

AAP leader Ashutosh with party supporters shouts slogans against BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi in New Delhi. (Vipin Kumar/HT photo)

Protests by AAP workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Kejriwal's detention in Gujarat snowballed into a clash when BJP activists allegedly threw stones at them and the protestors retaliated. While both sides hurled chairs and sticks at each other, police intervened, using water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Angry AAP workers vandalised the BJP hoardings in the area. AAP leaders Shazia Ilmi, Ashutosh and Rajmohan Gandhi were present at the protest site. Ilmi told media persons it was a peaceful protest by them but the BJP workers indulged in violence.

In Gujarat's Kutch, former chief minister Kejriwal's car was attacked by a few unidentified people. The windscreen of his four-wheeler was damaged in the incident.

Armed with brooms, AAP workers also clashed with lathi-wielding activists of BJP in Uttar Pradesh's Lucknow. AAP activists allegedly attacked the BJP office with bricks, drawing retaliation as the saffron party workers, carrying canes, took to the streets.

Several people were mercilessly beaten up by canes after being knocked down on the road as rival groups chased each other away.

BJP supporters clash with AAP supporters outside the BJP office in Lucknow on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

Read: Kejriwal slams Modi after brief detention in Gujarat

Reports of similar clashes also came in from other UP towns such as Jhansi, Kanpur and Allahabad.

Reacting over the New Delhi clashes, BJP leaders said the AAP was responsible for the fracas.

"Do they believe in Maoism?" asked BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad while another spokesman Nirmala Sitharaman said: "No one should indulge in this kind of destructive politics. What's happening is completely unwarranted, highly condemnable."

While the police were able to round up a few protesters, the violent episode led to traffic snarls outside the BJP office, which is located in the heart of the national capital. The area is a high security zone and both the BJP and AAP supporters claimed the cops did not take immediate action against the aggressors.

A Twitter storm also broke out after AAP leader and former journalist Ashutosh was pictured climbing the gate of the BJP office in New Delhi. While the AAP leader claimed he was requesting his supporters to stay calm, BJP leaders charged him with inciting violence. "Why was Ashutosh leading the violent protests? We demand action against him," BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.

Read: Kejriwal, supporters detained briefly in north Gujarat

BJP leader Anurag Thakur retweeted a photo of Ashutosh climbing the entrance of the BJP headquarters.

Speaking to reporters after the incident, the AAP leader said, "BJP workers attacked me from inside their office, I have been injured. They even hurt our women workers."

The incidents of violence took place barely hours after Kejriwal, who began a four-day tour of Gujarat to check chief minister and BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi's claims that the state was a model of development, was detained by police in a village in north Gujarat. The former Delhi chief minister was released after 30 minutes.

Minutes after the clashes, Kejriwal appealed to his volunteers to stay calm and not resort to any kind of violence.