19 March 2014 Last updated at 09:21
Pro-Russians storm Ukraine Sevastopol naval base in Crimea
Pro-Russian activists, some of them armed, have stormed a Ukrainian naval base in the Crimean city of Sevastopol.
Russian flags have been seen flying from buildings, the headquarters of the Ukrainian navy, and several Ukrainian servicemen were seen leaving the base.
It comes a day after Crimean leaders signed a treaty with Russia absorbing the peninsula into the Russian Federation after a disputed referendum.
The move has been widely condemned internationally.
On Monday, the US and the EU imposed sanctions on several officials from Russia and Ukraine accused of involvement in Moscow's actions in the Black Sea peninsula.
Besieged Bedouin camp a microcosm of Israeli occupation and settlement policy
The Bedouin are under constant pressure to move but are determined to remain
Ray Murphy
Sulaiman is a 75-year-old sheikh, or camp elder, in a Bedouin camp in the south Hebron hills over an hour’s drive from Ramallah in the so- called West Bank of Palestine.
This is an area referred to by John Kerry as having potential to be part of a future land swap, a reference to the Palestinian Authority and Israel agreeing to exchange land to accommodate illegal settlements as part of a peace agreement.
On a field trip there to observe the impact of Israeli settlement policy I found myself in a nearby Bedouin camp after our car broke down. Palestinians told me the Bedouin chose this way of life, but I was not convinced.
Taiwanese students storm parliament building over trade pact
A group of students in Taiwan has occupied the country's parliament building in the capital, Taipei. The act of protest is in response to government plans of a trade agreement with China.
Around 200 students stormed the parliament building in the Taiwanese capital on Wednesday, breaking through security checkpoints and barricading the entrances with furniture. This blocked police from entering the main chamber of the parliament building.
The students' move is in protest of plans made by the governing Kuomintang party to pass a trade agreement with China. The students are calling for a clause-by-clause review of the deal.
Some analysts think the deal could be harmful to small business in Taiwan. They worry it could expose Taiwan to excessive Chinese influence, and that the government is not being upfront about the downsides of the deal.
Has South Sudan war wrought an African 'rapid reaction' force?
The Ugandan Army quickly crossed into South Sudan on behalf of the government when fighting broke out in December. That may have started something.
Since 2003, The African Union Peace and Security Council has sought to establish an African Standby Force, whose purpose would be to rapidly respond to conflicts and emergency situations in Africa. Since then the Council has proposed several structural versions of a standby force to fill this rapid reaction role, none of which have yet yielded results.
In the meantime it appears that the Ugandangovernment is using its own military to fill this role.
The inability of the AU to deploy a rapid reaction force has impaired its ability to implement policy in East Africa. And after years of fighting rebel threats throughout the region, Uganda’s well trained military seems to have the strength to fill this vacuum.
Cuba Could Be Venezuela's Biggest Loser
In the midst of chaos in Venezuela, a dependent Cuba and its economic future is walking on a tight rope.
As Venezuela's economic woes deepen, with an annualized inflation ratereaching 57 percent, and violent clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters escalate, the probability of a new government is high, making Cuba's future uncertain. Even if Nicolas Maduro, who succeeded the late Hugo Chavez as president, stays in power, he could be forced to cut aid to Cuba to help alleviate Venezuela's imploded economy, which suffers from stagnation, inflation and shortages.
For the last decade, Venezuela's oil has helped fuel Cuba's economy, providing 60 percent of the communist-ruled island's demands. In exchange,Cuba sends about 30,000 doctors to Venezuela, according to an analysis by Pavel Vidal, a former official at Cuba's central bank and now an economics professor at the Universidad Javeriana in Cali, Colombia.
Scientists warn of global warming's abrupt changes
A report by American Assn. for the Advancement of Science lays out in plain language the potential for harmful consequences should governments delay action.
By Tony Barboza
A group of scientists warned Tuesday that world leaders must act more swiftly to slow greenhouse gas emissions or risk "abrupt, unpredictable and potentially irreversible changes" from climate change.
The American Assn. for the Advancement of Science's blunt report contains no new scientific conclusions. But by speaking in plain, accessible terms it seeks to instill greater urgency in leaders and influence everyday Americans. Scientists said many previous assessments have been long and ponderous, and have failed to shift public opinion on global warming.
The goal "is to move policy forward by making science as clear and straightforward as we possibly can," association Chief Executive Alan Leshner said. "What we're trying to do is to move the debate from whether human-induced climate change is reality … to exactly what should you do about it."
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