Submit Concept Note for Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development in Sri Lanka

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MARCH 4, 2014 By Gamala Luitel Leave a Comment

Deadline: 16 April 2014
European Union is inviting concept notes from non-state actors (NSAs) established in Sri Lanka or a member country of European Union to apply for the grant program to Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Developmentin Sri Lanka 2013. The major aim of the grant program is to strengthen Non State Actors and Local Authorities in Sri Lanka which would then provide a foundation for a more equitable, open and democratic society through support to their ‘own initiatives’, as well as strengthen their capacity to deliver services to the citizen.
Geographical Priorities –

1. Lot 1 – Northern and Eastern Provinces i.e. Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Mallaithivu, Killinochchi, Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee and border districts.
2. Lot 2 – Central and Uva Provinces i.e. Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya, Badhulla and Moneragala districts.

Grant size for applications (for any of the Lot 1 or 2 projects) is EUR300,000 to EUR400,000 which can be 50% of the total eligible costs of the action. The action must be completed between 24 to 48 months.
Cross-Cutting Themes –

1. Promoting gender equality and equal rights for women and men in line with the EU’s strategy ‘Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Development Cooperation’
2. Promoting the rights of persons with mental and physical disabilities, older people, children, single parent households, war widows and other marginalized groups
3. Encouraging conflict sensitive approaches that also address bottlenecks to reconciliation in the present Sri Lankan context
4. Increasing respect for the rule of law
5. Increasing awareness and fight against HIV/Aids
6. Addressing key environmental concerns
7. Ensuring coordinated approach with other actors in order to avoid duplication of activities and to enhance impact
8. Integrating a sound needs assessment and stakeholders’ analysis
9. Unequivocally demonstrating a strong element of capacity building of local actors

Eligibility Criteria –

• Applicants must be legal persons in non-profit making organizations.
• Applicants must be Non State Actors (NSA) constituted in accordance with the article 24.2 of the Regulation (EC) No 1905/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
• Applicants must be established in Sri Lanka, or in a Member State of the European Union.
• Applicants must be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.
• One organization can submit only one application (either in Lot 1 or Lot 2).
• Co-applicant must be established in Sri-Lanka or the member country of European Union.

For more information, please visit Webgate NSA & LAs in Development page.
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to meet Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa despite protests in Tamil Nadu

All India | Edited by Zoya Anna Thomas - March 04, 2014 

AFP

The meet comes three months after Mr Singh skipped a visit to the island nation to attend CHOGM due to pressure from political parties in Tamil Nadu. (File photo)

Myanmar:  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of a summit in Myanmar today, despite protests in Tamil Nadu. 

The two leaders will meet as part of the BIMSTEC or Bay Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation summit, three months after the Prime Minister skipped a visit to the island nation for a Commonwealth meet, bowing to pressure from political parties in Tamil Nadu.

The BIMSTEC grouping comprises India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, Bhutan and Nepal.

Pro-Tamil outfits say India should take a stronger stand against Sri Lanka's alleged war crimes and human rights violations against ethnic Tamils.

"The Prime Minister will meet the President of Sri Lanka," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told NDTV. "Last year, I am sure Sri Lanka wasn't very pleased about our position because they seem to feel we owe them a lot more support."

The meeting comes ahead of a crucial UN resolution on Sri Lanka this month.

Lanka had rejected a call by the United Nations for an independent international probe into allegations of war crimes. The country has come under increasing international pressure to probe allegations of massive civilian deaths during its final offensive against the separatist Lankan Tamil Tigers, which ended in May 2009.

The DMK hit out at the prime minister for the Centre's "indifference" on Lankan Tamils.

"At a time when Tamils, Tamil outfits and even India are seeking a resolution for an independent probe into war crimes in Sri Lanka, the PM is holding talks with Rajapaksa ignoring the sentiments of Tamils and Tamil Nadu," DMK Chief M Karunanidhi wrote in the party mouthpiece "Murasoli".

Engaging with Sri Lanka is a risk for the ruling Congress ahead of the national election, due by May, with Tamil sentiment taking a lion's share of the campaign space in Tamil Nadu.

Sri Lanka’s victims dismayed by draft resolution at UNHRC

Tuesday, March 4th, 2014 

The insubstantial draft resolution on Sri Lanka that was released yesterday at the United Nations Human Rights council (UNHRC) has greatly disappointed and shocked the Tamil people, who are the primary victims of the ongoing conflict in the Island of Sri Lanka.

The resolution text effectively calls for more of the same: it requests another update by the Human Rights Commissioner in a year’s time and makes another call on Sri Lanka to launch a credible domestic inquiry – despite the Human Rights Commissioner herself declaring that Sri Lanka has no political will to investigate itself.

Five years on from the terrible massacres of 2009, the Tamil people have been told to put up with another year of lost land, lost people, further curtailment of rights, physical and sexual abuse. A state that is moving in an “increasingly authoritarian direction”, according to the Human Rights High Commissioner, has inexplicably been given yet more time and space.

The resolution acknowledges the culture of “intimidation and retaliation against civil society members including those who met the High Commissioner during her visit”.  However, it fails to recognise that witnesses and evidence that the High Commissioner is yet to see are disappearing every day.  The Sri Lankan state now has even more time to complete its programme of destroying evidence and eliminating witnesses to the crimes committed.  The recently set up commission to inquire into “disappearances” demonstrates what can be expected from a local mechanism: relatives who lodged details of their missing ones were visited by Sri Lankan security forces and threatened with serious consequences if they did not withdraw their claims.

Furthermore, the whole narrative of the resolution takes away the focus from the root cause of the conflict.  As member states must surely be aware, behind diplomatic terms like ‘religious minorities’, ‘accountability’, ‘truth and justice’, ‘Northern Provincial Council powers’, and ‘land disputes commission’ lies an indisputably ethnocratic dimension to this conflict; however this is not explicitly recognised in the draft resolution.

At the end of the war in 2009, Tamil people lost hope in an international community and United Nations that, as the UN Secretary General has himself admitted, woefully failed to protect Tamil lives in Sri Lanka. However, although the two previous resolutions at the UNHRC, in 2012 and 2013, fell far short of the Tamils’ demand for truth and justice, these did rekindle some faith among the Tamil people that the international community would eventually deliver them justice. However, the resolution draft released yesterday has completely shattered this hope.

British Tamils Forum has been consistent and persistent in its call for an International Independent Investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide – indeed, this is the collective call of all Tamil organisations across the world.

The UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his government have given us strong reassurances that they will ensure an international independent investigation takes place in Sri Lanka. Several other world statesmen have echoed these calls. In the past week there have been unambiguous calls for an immediate independent international investigation by several prominent NGOs, by the current UN Human Rights Commissioner, Ms Navaneethem Pillay, her predecessor and current President of the International Crisis Group, Ms Louise Arbour and the Christian churches in the North and East of Sri Lanka.

In this context, the draft text released yesterday is a painful slap in the face of all those victims who still await justice and a kick in the back for the weary Tamils of North and East Sri Lanka, who are trying to get on with their everyday lives in the face of escalating colonisation and militarisation of their lands. Furthermore, there is no doubt that such a meaningless resolution would undermine the Tamil people’s belief that engagement with the international community can serve any purpose in their decades-long struggle for peace, freedom and rights on the island of Sri Lanka.

British Tamils Forum, expressing its disappointment at this draft resolution, urges the UK government to heed the repeated requests of the Human Rights High Commissioner and to honour David Cameron’s promise to the British Tamil community – by ensuring that a robust and independent international investigation mechanism is announced in the resolution text ahead of voting on 26 March 2014.

US Confirms OHCHR Inquiry On Sri Lanka

March 4, 2014

The US Government has just confirmed that the draft resolution on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva calls on the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to investigate violations and abuses of human rights.

US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Sarah Sewall said the US resolution had called on the OHCHR to investigate past abuses and ongoing violations.

Much-maligned Manape

Editorial-March 3, 2014

Manape or the preferential vote is the mother of all battles during election times as is common knowledge. All candidates, save a few, blatantly flout election laws, throw money around and bust a gut, as they say, trying to obtain as many preferential votes as possible. The end, in their book, justifies the means. With only a few weeks to go for the Southern and Western Provincial Council polls, the pace of campaigning is hotting up, and all signs are that we will witness many more violent clashes.

Minister Dullas Alahapperuma has recently gone on record saying Manape has driven decent men and women away from politics and stood moneyed political dregs in good stead. True, when the people see the present-day wealthy scumbags going places, having entered politics, they think just like the proverbial camel which happened to open its bowels while moving downstream in a river; on seeing its own dung overtake it owing to rapids, the animal wondered, "How come what should come behind me is going ahead of me?"

Crooks in the fray with caches of black money for electioneering go so far as to shower expensive election bribes on voters such as mobile phones. We have seen politicians give away not only dry rations but also huge amounts of rotgut in return for votes. Decent candidates not prepared to stoop so low as to bribe electors to win elections are at a disadvantage. Dregs overtake them, as Minister Alahapperuma has pointed out.

But, what would happen, if the preferential vote was done away with in a hurry with the Proportional Representation (PR) system intact? Manape, in spite of all its flaws, serves one useful purpose; it enables people to indicate their preference for their favourite candidates after voting for parties of their choice. If that mechanism was abolished, they would have to vote blindly for parties, and crafty party leaders would be free to manipulate lists of candidates and ensure the election of their cronies at the expense of popular contestants not in their good books. How chaotic the situation will be in rainbow coalitions which have come to characterise Sri Lankan politics, in such an eventuality, is not difficult to imagine.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the preferential vote, we believe. It has become a big problem because the two main political parties, the SLFP and the UNP, continue to nominate unsavoury elements to contest elections. Manape has never been an issue for the JVP, as we keep pointing out in these columns, because its candidates put the party before self and, most of all, do not contest elections with a view to amassing wealth or enjoying perks. Therefore, there is no need for them to kill one another for preferential votes. Other parties are not without candidates with the same cachet. Former Western Provincial Council minister Udaya Gammanpila, currently in the PC polls fray, has had the courage to swim against the tide.

A UNP candidate has been arrested for allegedly masterminding an armed robbery in Negombo to raise funds for his PC polls campaign. A UPFA Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman has been nabbed while allegedly transporting cannabis in his official vehicle. The UNP and the SLFP are notorious for fielding anti-social elements at elections such as rapists, cattle rustlers, pickpockets, robbers and paedophiles and that may explain why political institutions including the national legislature have gone to the dogs.

This country is not short of good men and women to represent people and if the leaders of the two main parties desist from fielding rogues at elections and nominate only decent candidates Manape will cease to be a problem and this country will be a better place to live in.

Namal Rajapaksa Tweets Meme Of Himself Making Offensive Remarks About Anarkali

March 4, 2014

Namal Rajapaksa, widely regarded as the crown prince of the ruling Rajapaksa dynasty, who maintains a relatively modest presence on the social media website Twitter, has just tweeted a meme of himself that is blatantly sexist and offensive to women.

The picture tweeted by the young parliamentarian is an image of himself and another UPFA member making bald remarks about Southern Provincial Council candidate for the ruling party and model Anarkali Akarsha‘s body. “Look what I found  ” Namal Rajapaksa tweeted with the photograph.

 

Namal Rajapaksa        ✔ @RajapaksaNamal

Follow

Look at what I found 😃

6:15 AM - 4 Mar 2014

Medamulana shameless Rajapakses insidiously help heroin Kingpin Wele Sudha via courts; Another dealer too unlawfully given bail

(Lanka-e-News-04.March.2014, 7.30PM) While there is so much opposition in the country to the Rajapakse pro heroin government , it is rudely shocking that the rulers are yet making deplorable efforts to save the heroin underworld Kingpins by extending full legal protection to them, and even improvising laws to suit the heroin mafia leaders.

Though the government gifted laptop journalists are also contributing to these disgraceful and most reprehensible aims by suppressing the shameful facts and acts of the government , Lanka e news deems it as its duty to reveal the truthful picture in respect of two such deplorable and disdainful cases within a week in the best interests of the country .

The first manipulation : the tactics that are being adopted by the attorney general’s (AG) department under Medamulana MaRa to rescue Sri Lanka ‘s heroin dealer King pin Wele Sudha alias Samantha Kumara Vithanage and his wife Gayani Priyadharshani .

Recently , the police anti narcotics bureau trapped a huge heroin network .The police following a raid conducted on a super luxury flat at 2000 Plaza near Jayawardena hospital took into custody about one kilo of heroin and a group engaged in the packing of heroin in packets factory. This was the first time in Sri Lanka the suspects were taken into custody while they were packing heroin into packets . Wele Sudha’s wife was taken into custody, and the properties bought out of the sale proceeds of heroin were also confiscated thereafter. 

After this operation the narcotics bureau submitted its full report to the AG’s department, because , thereafter it is the AG’s department that ought to institute legal action against the criminals.

Based on the evidence forwarded by the narcotics bureau , the AG’s dept. commenced its litigation process. But this beginning marked its end too. That is the AG department had filed action in a manner that would help the horse to escape from its stable. 

The AG’s department had filed three cases in respect of the charges which could all have been included in one case. The case production therefore was noted in the lists of several cases. Consequently , the ‘court production’ pertaining to one case had been entered in another case, whereby the case had been filed in such a muddled up manner that it is most favorable to the suspects , because of the numerous technical defaults and defects that had been made to creep in.

The most baffling part of this heroin drama enacted by our ruling heroes is , the assigning of a junior about 25 years old female lawyer (the villainous heroine) of the AG’s dept. to prosecute this massive heroin mafia operation case. She had appeared on the scene and started blaming the officers of the anti narcotics bureau. Believe it or not , she had brazenly asked , who is this Wele Sudha? How can you say that (gentle)man is a heroin trafficker ? It is all of you who have got together and made that (gentle)man a heroin dealer.

The crucial question raised by all was ,whether this state counsel was representing the state on behalf of the AG against Wele Sudha or acting for and on behalf of Wele Sudha ? Her conduct had created grave problems to the anti narcotics bureau officers who toiled .

This cannot be just a routine lapse because the AG’s department is absolutely under Medamulana MaRa . This t is based on his advice to get the case fouled up and allow it to slip out . Meanwhile some other website reported that a luxury house in Colombo belonging to Sudha , was transferred to the Bribery and corruption commissioner because Sudha feared that house too will be confiscated.

Wele Sudha is currently living abroad , and his wife Priyadharshini is in custody in SL. We give hereunder the colossal wealth and assets amassed by them with the collaboration of this ‘kudu’(heroin) government :

Two houses in Kollupitiya worth Rs. 50.5 million
One house in Colombo 07 worth Rs. 25 million.
One house in Rajagiriya worth Rs. 20 million
One house in Pannipitiya worth Rs. 15 million.
One house in Madiwela worth Rs. 10 million
Land at Dehiwala worth Rs. 16 million
Land at Nedimala worth Rs. 14 million
One BMW car worth Rs. 20 million
One Prado jeep worth Rs. 15 million
One jeep worth Rs. 12 million
Funds in account of Kollupitiya People’s bank – Rs. 18.2 million
Value of foreign currencies found in the Kollupitiya house –Rs. 9.1 million
The value of gold found in the Kollupitiya house –Rs. 20.1 million
The total value-Rs. 244 million .

This incident among the many that have gone undetected , bear ample testimony that the Medamulana Rajapakses are like how they are conferring diplomatic immunity on the foreign diplomats are granting immunity to heroin Kingpins and dealers from arrest and punishment via the courts. 

It is significant to note that recently , the leader of the JHU Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera accused that two containers with goods were released to two sons of Ministers without inspection by the Customs , and it is possible that those containers were loaded with heroin and /or arms. Anyway , at the same time it is interesting to note that the JHU which is aware of all the frauds and corruption of the government still continues to jack up the government like partners in crimes cannot separate.

POLICE CONSTABLE HANGS HIMSELF AFTER FAMILY DISPUTE

March 4, 2014 

A Police Constable attached to the Puttalam Police Station has committed suicide by hanging himself, following an argument with his wife last night.

The deceased, a 45-year-old from Medagama in Galgamuwa, was found hanging from a tree in front of his wife’s home this morning, Ada Derana reporter said. 

President’s ‘abusive treatment’ to Maithri

 Tuesday, 04 March 2014 

President Mahinda Rajapaksa treated SLFP general secretary and health minister Maithripala Sirisena to ‘a best quality abusive outburst’ in front of all other ministers when the latter had come to Temple Trees to wish the former on his foreign tour that began yesterday (03), say Temple Trees sources.

The reason for this treatment is the remark made to the media by minister Sirisena with regard to a fast that had taken place in Polonnaruwa recently to demand the completion of a construction of a road. He has said that even though he was a minister, the only option for him is to join those involved in the fast to ensure the road is built.

Losing his temper upon seeing the minister, the president has blurted out, “Don’t you try to become a hero. If you cannot use your ministerial powers, you can go hang yourself. What all of you do is backstabbing. You all are playing the hero in front of the media. Do not try to be smart.” The above is all what we can report from the extremely abusive outburst made by the president.

This treatment was so extreme that the other ministers present had made hasty retreats, without stopping to wish the president on his journey. The SLFP general secretary had gone to his official vehicle crying all the way. Coming after him, the president has said, “If you can, leak this to the media too. If you do that, I will remove your underwear from your head.” Minister Sirisena has become seriously embarrassed as this outburst was heard by the VIP security personnel too.

Bandaranaike College closed indefinitely 

By Faizer Shaheid-March 4, 2014
 
Bandaranaike College, Gampaha, was closed indefinitely yesterday, following an unruly protest by students against the principal.
 
An official at the school who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that students in the GCE Advanced Level classes had launched the protest against certain actions of the Principal, D.M.L.P. Dissanayake. The students had begun pounding the walls and had turned extremely violent. "It was a daunting task to send the students out of the school's gates as they began to turn more abusive," he said.
 
According to the police, the incident had taken place at 7:40 in the morning, and around 150 students had participated in the protest.
They had broken down a door, damaged desks and chairs, and had created a major disturbance in the area, but a complaint had not been lodged with the police with regard to the incident, the police added.
 
The students had been deeply concerned about the actions of the principal, the official said. The students had demanded that the principal be removed on the grounds that he was involved in corrupt practices. A similar situation had arisen last week for the same reasons, sources further said.
Grenade attack on traffic cops fail 

By Zahrah Imtiaz- March 4, 2014
 
Two traffic police officers who were on duty in the Maniraasa-kulam area on Kinniya Road, Kantale on Sunday (2) night, were attacked with a grenade which did not explode.
 
Police said that the pin on the grenade had not been broken when it was lobbed at the two policemen.
The officers are attached to the Waan-ela Police, and were ambushed by a group of people.
 
No one had been arrested in relation to the incident todate. Police assume that the attack would have been motivated by those who were prosecuted for traffic violations in the area.
Further investigations are being carried out by the Waan-ela Police.

Will 12 Years a Slave help the fight against slavery?

12 Years a Slave is the latest film to deal with slavery, but is the subject too complex to portray

 accurately? Photograph: Allstar

Taken, a documentary by British journalist Hazel Thompson, offers a rare glimpse into the dangerous lives of women forced to work the streets

Oliver Balch-Guardian Professional, Tuesday 4 March 2014

Portraying and documenting slavery on film is wrought with logistical and ethical challenges. Now back in the spotlight, can film improve campaign impact?

Guddi was trafficked into Mumbai's sex industry aged 11. The first man she was forced to go with brutalised her so severely that she was hospitalised for three months. A dozen years on, she's still being forced to work the streets.

Her story is now the subject of a moving documentary. Shot by British journalist Hazel Thompson, the film Taken offers a rare glimpse into the dangerous, day-to-day life of a sex worker.

With Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave winning the Oscar for best film on Sunday, the subject is in the spotlight in Hollywood and anti-slaverygroups are increasingly using film to raise awareness.

The UK-based Jubilee Campaign has worked with Thompson to launch her film in an e-book format, with links to e-petitions, fund raising options and other calls to action. US advocacy group Free the Slaves, which was co-founded by a filmmaker, has created documentaries on everything from slavery in Africa's cocoa fields to forced prostitution in the US. Its latest film Stand With Me, a collaboration with photographer Lisa Kristine, is currently premiering across the US.

"One of our key strategies is to go out and video and photograph slavery in places where the news media isn't going to go," says Terry FitzPatrick, spokesperson for Free The Slaves.

The visual impact of films is not in doubt, but depicting modern-day slavery on screen is not without major challenges. First and most obvious is the criminality and violence associated with the industry. At most risk is the enslaved individual. To protect their anonymity, filmmakers often dub people's voices or shield their faces on screen.

Striking the balance between telling a compelling story and protecting your sources is a dilemma every filmmaker faces, says Thompson. She only chose to publicise Guddi's experience after extensive discussion with her about the potential risks.

The physical process of filming can also be dangerous. Filming a dramatic rescue may make for great TV, but may have consequences for the individual as well as local human rights workers. Many of them have spent years slowly building connections among slavery networks. "If you drag in TV crews, the game would immediately be up," says FitzPatrick.

The sheer complexity of modern-day slavery throws up additional challenges for filmmakers. Everyone wants the black and white Hollywood story, notes Thompson. "But slavery is not like that." How people end up enslaved, why they struggle to escape, what awaits them after captivity: none of these questions fit a simple narrative, nor are they straightforward to address on screen."

Working with anti-trafficking experts can help filmmakers tease out some of these complexities, advises Bradley Myles, chief executive of thePolaris Project, a US advocacy group. His organisation was called in to provide specialist counsel for 12 Years a Slave, as well as the independent documentary Not My Life. "We make suggestions around ensuring the film portrays trafficking in a realistic way, that's not over embellished or sensationalised," Myles says.

NGOs can also play a key role in a film's marketing and distribution. The World Affairs Councils of America, for example, organised over 50 screenings of Not My Life across its nation-wide network of local chapters last year. Advocacy groups often provide an online platform for film-makers as well. Free The Slaves runs on YouTube and Vimeo pages that feature copious amounts of material, for example, from short news clips to feature-length documentaries.

And a film's impact doesn't have to end with its screening. Promoting audience discussion and debate after a film's screening is "absolutely critical" for films about slavery, says John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival . It provides the opportunity for viewers to probe issues further and, ideally, to decide what actions they can take.

Such post-screening debate isn't just restricted to human rights festivals. Hollywood films generate a media buzz that opens doors for anti-slavery advocates. Anti-Slavery International, for example, has persuaded director Steve McQueen to become one of its formal ambassadors. "I am sure that his voice will add a great urgency to the unfinished struggle to end slavery for all," says Aidan McQuade, director at the UK-based charity. Free the Slaves, meanwhile, has struck a deal with the producers of the audio book of 12 Years a Slave to receive 20% of all sale receipts.

What the Hollywood format is designed to do so well is leave the viewers on a hopeful note. Documentarians are tied closer to the reality of messy endings. Whatever the genre, films on slavery are serving to raise public awareness. The very best can drive viewers to action as well. That's where the medium's real hope lies. As Terry Tennens, chief executive of the International Justice Mission argues: "Films like '12 Years a Slave' can initiate a deeper conversation about the reality of injustice in this world, including modern-day slavery, and what can – and is – being done to overcome and prevent such abuse."

Live from Belbek as first Russian shots fired in Crimea - See more at: 
 

Tuesday 04 Mar 2014
The first shots of the Russian occupation of Crimea were fired overnight at Belbek air force base. Luckily, they were into the air.

“But the Russians said if we did not stop, they would fire at our legs,” said Major Sergey Golovchanskyi of the Ukrainian air force.

He was among some 100 Ukrainian air force who had decided that they were going to take back the planes which the Russians had seized a couple of days ago. They marched up to the runway gate with a circular saw. That was when the Russians threatened them. They stopped, and the standoff continues.

Live From Belbek as First Russian Shots Fired in Crimea - See More At by nelvely

BREAKING -- China joins Russia 'in agreement' over Ukraine...

5:28pm UK, Monday 03 March 2014

(Sky News) -- Russia has said China is largely "in agreement" over Ukraine, after other world powers condemned Moscow for sending troops into the country.

Hundreds of Russian soldiers have surrounded a military base in Crimea, preventing Ukrainian soldiers from going in or out.

The convoy blockading the site, near the Crimean capital Simferopol, includes at least 17 military vehicles.

Russian troops are also reported to have taken control of a ferry terminal in the city of Kerch on the eastern tip of Crimea, which has a majority Russian-speaking population.

Ukraine's defence ministry said two Russian fighter jets violated the country's air space in the Black Sea on Sunday night and that it had scrambled an interceptor aircraft to prevent the "provocative actions".

And reports claimed pro-Russian protesters had occupied a floor of the regional government building in Donetsk. The 11-storey building has been flying the Russian flag for the last three days.

Ukrainian prime minister Arseny Yatseniuk has insisted his country "will never give up Crimea to anyone" and urged Russian forces to withdraw. Read more...