2014

"That's a Sunday morning goal; it's certainly Sunday morning defending. Simple as you'd like, thank you very much! What a present!"

"Simple as you like. Look at this with the goal. Lovely ball in, Toni Kroos takes his time. Look at this for the pass. Have some of that. Intelligence of Muller. Julio Cesar does well, but Klose is there for the rebound. What a beautiful goal, simple. Running off the ball, incisive passes. Brazil have to watch out; they've already been warned. They're going to go down by a lot more if they continue like this. But, a wonderful achievement by Miroslav Klose."

"Yeah. Look at the space, Ian! Look at the space! Oh, great strike. But, look at this Ian. How bad is that? Simple, no? Ugh! Yes, he gets a bit lucky. That's a lovely strike by Toni Kroos. But is anybody going to close down? Is anybody going to be, make it hard to beat? Are they going to be organized, Brazil? Because at the moment it looks as if eleven players are just running around the field with no idea. Yeah."

"The situation [of agriculturicide] has been especially bad in Siberia and the North Caucasus, but the worst case involves Russian-occupied Crimea. There overly zealous officials have not just banned the sale of livestock owned by peasants but actually destroyed it, thus leaving the rural population without money, food or hope."

"Just what the Crimean Tatars now face under Russian occupation is clear if one compares Ukrainian and Russian laws governing ethnic minorities in Ukraine like the Crimean Tatars. Ukrainian law gives the Crimean Tatars special rights as an indigenous people, but Russian law does not. …[the Putin régime's] minions have suppressed Crimean Tatar self-government and some of them have even called for the suppression of the name Crimea because in the words of one Russian official, “Crimea is a Crimean Tatar name.”"

"In 2010 the pro-Russian leader of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, opposed any move to take the country closer to NATO or the EU, but within four years he was ousted by pro-western parties in Kiev, precipitating an open civil war in Ukraine’s Russian-speaking eastern provinces, the latter supported by Moscow. Tension was further increased when in 2014 Putin annexed the formerly Russian territory of Crimea, granted to Ukraine in the 1950s. Europe replied with a barrage of economic sanctions, which had no political effect beyond entrenching Russia’s siege economy and bringing Putin closer to his oligarchic associates. The economy switched to import substitution, including the manufacture of domestic mozzarella and camembert. NATO reopened its invitation to Ukraine and conducted military exercises in the Baltic countries. Russia did likewise. Europe slid back into brinkmanship mode. Misjudging Moscow had long been the occupational disease of European diplomacy. It cursed alike Swedes, Poles, Napoleon and Hitler. It now blighted a western alliance divided on how to respond to this newly aggressive Russia."

"Mr. Putin moved on Ukraine when Barack Obama was no longer a charismatic character but a known quantity with low polls, failing support, a weak economy. He'd taken Mr. Obama's measure during the Syria crisis and surely judged him not a shrewd international chess player but a secretly anxious professor who makes himself feel safe with the sound of his voice."

"The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly: ...19. Considers that the actions by the Russian Federation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, constitute acts of military aggression against Ukraine; 20. Declares that the referendum held in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol on 16 March 2014 had no legal validity, reiterates its call on the Russian Federation to reverse its unlawful annexation of this region, and calls on participating States to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing the unlawful annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol; 21. Expresses its grave concern over increasing militarization in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and statements by some Russian officials indicating an intention to deploy nuclear weapons in that region by the Russian Federation, actions which undermine global, European, and regional peace and security..."

"The annexation of Crimea became one of the most cynical acts of treachery in modern history."

"The General Assembly, reaffirming the paramount importance of the Charter of the United Nations in the promotion of the rule of law among nations... Calls upon all states, international organizations, and specialized agencies not to recognize any alteration of the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol..."

"The presence of Russian occupiers in Crimea is a threat to the entire Europe and to global stability. The Black Sea region cannot be safe as long as Crimea is occupied. There will be no stable and lasting peace in many countries on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea as long as Russia is able to use our peninsula as its military base. This Russian war against Ukraine and against the entire free Europe began with Crimea and must end with Crimea — with its liberation. Today it is impossible to say when this will happen. But we are constantly adding the necessary components to the formula of liberation of Crimea."

"The Soviet Union fell apart. Things developed so swiftly that few people realized how truly dramatic those events and their consequences would be. ...It was only when the Crimea ended up as part of a different country that Russia realized that it had not only been robbed but plundered. ...And what about the Russian state? What about Russia? It humbly accepted the situation. This country was going through such hard times then that, realistically, it was incapable of defending its interests."

"In the 21st century, nations cannot; and we cannot allow them to redraw borders by force. These are the ground rules. And if we fail to uphold them, we will rue the day. Russia has violated these ground rules and continues to violate them. Today Russia is occupying sovereign Ukrainian territory. Let me be crystal clear: The United States does not, will not, never will recognize Russia’s attempt to annex the Crimea... It’s that saying; that simple. There is no justification."

"The territory of Ukraine is indivisible and inviolable."

"The way that Russia seized Crimea by force from Ukraine this March was hostile and extremely illegal... A poll found that 41 percent of Crimeans wanted the region to become part of Russia. That's an awful lot; but it's still not a majority. Crimea's March referendum on leaving Ukraine for Russia ostensibly garnered 97 percent support, but it occurred in a rush, without international monitors, and under Russian military occupation. A draft U.N. investigative report found that critics of secession within Crimea were detained and tortured in the days before the vote; it also found 'many reports of vote-rigging'. Had the referendum been held in a transparent and legal manner, it's not clear which way the vote would have gone."

"The entire world opposes Russia's annexation of Crimea."

"In times of emergencies like this, we have to show unity of efforts that transcends boundaries and issues."

"If they have a strong feeling or indication that the debris belongs to the aircraft, one of the first things authorities will do is drop sonar buoys in the water. If the black box (flight recorder) is there, the buoys should be able to pick up the signals. This could take up to 48 hours but it all depends on how near or far the ships and other assets are."

"I have been very hopeful because it was intentionally diverted, so I don't believed it was crashed," he said. "It's been a very, very difficult time, and very emotionally stressing. The area where Australia is looking - I was a captain at sea - I have been through that area several times. This area has got a concentration of garbage - plastics and wood. I don't know, I don't want to believe it as yet."

"Obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads and there is increasing hope - no more than hope, no more than hope - that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."

"We demand the Malaysian side state the detailed evidence that leads them to this judgement, as well as supply all the relevant information and evidence about the satellite data analysis. The search and rescue work cannot stop now. We demand the Malaysian side continue to finish all the work including search and rescue."

"Our sincerest condolences go out to the loved ones of the 239 passengers, friends and colleagues. Words alone cannot express our enormous sorrow and pain."

"We realize this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board. No words can describe the pain they must be going through. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world."

"Goodnight Malaysian Three Seven Zero"

"There’s always this question: Have we missed something? That’s the sort of thing that will occasionally keep me awake at night. We were ready for most things, but MH370 has been unpredictable all the way through."

"DAS MEER DER VERLORENEN ZEIT: "Gegen Ende Januar wurde das Meer wieder rauh, begann das Dorf mit einem Haufen Unrat zu überschütten, und wenige Wochen später war von der unerträglichen Laune des Meeres alles vergiftet. Danach blieb die Welt sinnlos, zumindest bis zum nächsten Dezember, und niemand war nach acht Uhr noch wach. Doch in dem Jahr, als Señor Herbert kam, erzürnte sich das Meer nicht, nicht einmal im Februar. Im Gegenteil, es wurde immer glatter und schillernder und verströmte in den ersten Märznächten Rosenduft.""