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(L-R) Paula Thiede, the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia and Zoran Djordjevic, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia at the opening of the workshop on OSCE Code of Conduct on politico-military aspects of security, Belgrade, 27 March 2014.

We publish in this section the full text of Russian President Vladimir Putin's March 18 speech to the two chambers of the Russian parliament and other dignitaries, including leaders of Crimea who the week before, had announced their intention to declare independence from Ukraine, pending the results of a referendum. After Putin's speech, they signed a treaty incorporating Crimea into the Russian Federation.

“Just prior to key local elections, the total blocking of access to YouTube is a further worrying development regarding freedom of expression and is contrary to the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. Once again, it raises serious questions about the application of the law on the Internet passed last February. The restrictions on freedom of expression must be strictly regulated,” said Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Thais voted Sunday to choose legislators for the upper house of parliament in a test for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's beleaguered government.

Australian authorities say a navy warship with a sophisticated U.S. black box locator heads out Sunday to join the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

With a new wave of fighting and vicious attacks in Central African Republic this week threatening vulnerable families, UNICEF warns that thousands of children, from both Muslim and Christian communities, are especially at risk. UNICEF has confirmed reports of the deaths of at least three children in an attack last night. In the past week of violence, eight children injured by grenade and gunfire have been treated.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks to journalists after briefing Security Council members in closed consultations.

Children displaced in Jonglei state, South Sudan.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=47458&Cr=south+sudan&Cr1=#....

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The U.S. Congress has spoken loudly to condemn Russia’s annexation of Crimea and underscore America’s support for Ukraine. The House and Senate on Thursday passed similar bills providing aid to Ukraine and sanctioning Russia. Final congressional approval could come on Friday.

International efforts to stop the fighting in Syria have failed to end the conflict, as rebel fighters and the Assad government battle on with no immediate victory in sight. The involvement of foreign militants in the Syrian conflict complicates the situation even more.