Ukraine: Russian forces took control Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula on Sunday, as thousands moved to “protect its interests and the Russian-speaking population” of Eastern Ukraine. The movement of Russian troops into eastern Ukraine has piqued international tensions. On Monday British Foreign Secretary William Hague called Ukraine “the biggest crisis in Europe in the 21st century,” days after U.S. President Barack Obama warned “there will be costs” for any military intervention by Russia. What those costs might be, exactly, is still unclear.
The White House is considering sanctions against Russia, which might also be expelled from the Group of 8 industrialized nations, but military action by the U.S. remains unlikely, according to a senior administration official. Russian troops surround Ukrainian military bases in Crimea, which has deep Russian sympathies. The new government in Kiev called up its reserves and declared the Russian invasion “a declaration of war.”
Markets dropped quickly after opening on Monday in response to the unrest.
China: Knife-wielding assailants staged an attack at the train station in Kunming, the capital of southern Yunnan province, that claimed at least 29 lives and injured more than 130 people. Police reported that the attack was “orchestrated by Xinjiang separatists,” where the Uighur minority has been at odds with the government. If so, it would be one of the worst attacks outside of Xinjiang — which are already relatively rare — in recent memory.
Four of the attacks, three men and one women, were killed by police during the incident, and one female assailant was captured.
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Europe
* British officials announced that they will boycott the Winter Paralympics in Sochi, but British athletes will still be allowed to compete.
* The commander of Ukraine’s navy defected to the Russian-backed Crimean authorities, but failed to convince other Navy officers to follow. Rear Admiral Denys Berezovsky had only been appointed head of the navy on Saturday.
* U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to visit Kiev on Tuesday to show support for the new Ukrainian government.

Asia
* Officials confirmed that 10 Taliban insurgents escaped from Sarposa Prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan, using an altered official document. The incident marks the fourth major jailbreak in the past decade.
* Pakistan’s government announced a halt to targeted airstrikes against the Taliban after the militant group declared a month-long ceasefire on Saturday.
* Burma has allowed Médecins Sans Frontières to resume its work after suspending its operations on Thursday over remarks on the crisis in the state of Rakhine. Operations in Rakhine are still suspended.

Americas
* Guatemala’s Pacaya volcano erupted on Saturday, forcing more than 3,000 people living in the area to evacuate.
* More than 1,000 anti-government protesters marched in eastern Caracas, Venezuela, ignoring carnival season. At least 17 people have been killed since protests began three weeks ago.
* Pieces from the roof of the World Cup stadium in Brazil dislodged and fell onto the field hours before a regional championship match.

Africa
* At least 90 people were killed in two separate attacks in Northern Nigera. The Islamic extremist group Boko Haram is thought to be responsible.
* Two members of Libya’s parliament were shot and wounded during protests in Tripoli, when protesters demanding early elections stormed the General National Congress.
* The trial of Olympian Oscar Pistorious, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, begins Monday.

Middle East
* More than 300,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews marched in Jerusalem to protest attempts to force them to serve in the Israeli military.
* There were 703 people killed by violence in Iraq during February, according to a U.N. report. The toll is higher than last February, but less than the 733 killed during January.
* Two Egyptian police officers have been sentenced to ten years in prison on manslaughter and torture charges for the death of a blogger in June of 2010.

-By Thomas Stackpole