Skip to main content

CREMEA ENDS UKRAINE OCCUPATION

Russian flags were flying high in the historic naval city of Sevastopol today as people looked forward to rejoining what many see as their homeland after a crunch referendum on Crimea's future. Several thousand people -- many waving the white, blue and red Russian standard or holding flowers -- gathered for a celebratory concert in the city's Nakhimov Square, named after one of Russia's most illustrious admirals. Shortly after polling closed, exit polls confirmed what spectators never doubted and showed that 93 per cent of voters favoured joining Russia and breaking away from Ukraine. "We're free of the occupation," shouted Lucia Prokorovna, 60, carrying a giant Russian flag. "Ukraine was attached to Crimea like a sack of potatoes. Today I visited the polling station -- I only slept half the night hoping for the moment we would be with Russia." Russian rock band Lubeh, known for their patriotic songs, were at the event, drawing a young crowd who cheered as lead singer Igor Matvienko shouted "Hurrah Sevastopol!" and "Success for you!" between songs. Samadova Viktorovna, 39, brought along her two children aged 11 and eight to the concert, which was marked by a conspicuous police and security presence plus plenty of alcohol. "It's magnificent -- look at how many people are here," she said. "We have big hopes because there has not been order in Ukraine for years." The square is a stone's throw from the waters where Russian warships are stationed as part of the Black Sea Fleet -- a constant reminder of Moscow's influence over the city, both past and present. Sevastopol was founded by Catherine the Great of Russia in 1783 and has been home to the fleet -- a strategically crucial naval unit which provides Moscow with access to the Mediterranean within a day's sailing -- ever since. It was one of the Crimean War's main battlegrounds and was rebuilt under Joseph Stalin after being destroyed during World War II as German forces held the city under siege. Sevastopol has a large majority of ethnic Russians among its 350,000 residents who yearn for Crimea to switch from being Ukrainian territory to being part of Russia, as it was until 1954.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

WORLD'S OLDEST WOMAN

Misao Okawa celebrates her 115th birthday in Osaka, western Japan on March 5, 2013. Okawa was formally recognized as the world's oldest woman.
Post a Comment
Read more

DEATH...TOUGH TO EXPLAIN FOR KIDS

Illustrating children's books is as challenging as working on books for adults as some images stay with us throughout life even if we may forget the story, says French author and illustrator Olivier Tallec. "Many think children's books are about inspiring stories but there’s a lot more to it. There are books which deal with sensitive issues like death, sexuality, loneliness coupled with humour," Tallec told PTI in an interview. "To illustrate such themes for children's books is very challenging because these concepts are difficult to explain. As an illustrator and writer, I have to be careful about what to say and how to say it to kids because they can be influenced easily," he said. In one of his books "The Scar", Tallec, through a series of illustrations captures the theme of loneliness through the eyes of a child. The story written by Charlotte Moundlic is about a little boy who wakes up to the news of his mother's deat...
Post a Comment
Read more

B cell- RESPOSE KEY TO FIGHT DIABETES & GUM DESEASE

Modulation of one of the most important blood cells involved in the human immune response may effectively treat and prevent the symptoms of type 2 diabetes and periodontitis simultaneously, scientists say. Researchers have found that B cells, blood cells involved in the human immune response, promote inflammation and bone loss in type 2 diabetes-associated periodontal disease. These findings support the idea that treatments that manipulate the responses of B cells may treat or prevent this complication. "Our study identified common inflammatory mechanisms shared by type 2 diabetes and periodontal disease. It paves the way for the development of novel therapeutics which aim to simultaneously treat both type 2 diabetes and its complications," said Min Zhu, a researcher involved in the work from the department of microbiology at Boston University School of Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. To make this discovery, scientists used an experimental model (mouse model) of periodo...
Post a Comment
Read more