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Monday's Mini-Report

Today's edition of quick hits.
Today's edition of quick hits:
 
* Crisis in Ukraine: "Russian forces expanded their control of the Crimea region Monday and reportedly gave the Ukrainian military an ultimatum, as the Ukrainian prime minister called for Western political and economic support and the Russian and Ukrainian currencies fell in tandem."
 
* NATO: "Poland called Monday for an urgent meeting of NATO, saying it feels threatened by events in Ukraine, as the United States and its European allies moved across a broad swath of international institutions in an effort to mobilize outrage against Russia."
 
* Consequences: "A Russian company might lose a multibillion-dollar contract to build two nuclear reactors in the Czech Republic following Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, two members of the Czech government said on Monday. Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky said that under the current circumstances he can 'hardly imagine' that Russia would be in charge of the project at the Temelin plant. Human Rights Minister Jiri Dienstbier backed his comments."
 
* Symbolic gesture: "President Obama has canceled the presidential delegation to the 2014 Paralympic Games in Sochi, Russia, in retaliation for the Russian invasion of Crimea."
 
* Middle East peace process: "Israel needs to take tough decisions if peace talks with the Palestinians are to have a future, US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday."
 
* Hamid Karzai doesn't sound like a man ready to strike a long-term security deal with the U.S.: "In an unusually emotional interview, the departing Afghan president sought to explain why he has been such a harsh critic of the 12-year-old U.S. war effort here. He said he's deeply troubled by all the casualties he has seen, including those in U.S. military operations. He feels betrayed by what he calls an insufficient U.S. focus on targeting Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan. And he insists that public criticism was the only way to guarantee an American response to his concerns."
 
* Pakistan: "In a rare strike in the heart of Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, militants killed at least 11 people at the district court complex on Monday, shaking the government just as prospects for talks with the Taliban seemed to be improving."
 
* Wisconsin: "Assembly Speaker Robin Vos sought to quell a leadership crisis by announcing Saturday that he and fellow Republicans plan to oust his embattled No. 2. In a statement released by Vos' office, Assembly GOP leaders said they intend to strip Majority Leader Bill Kramer of his leadership post after he was accused of sexually harassing at least two women while in Washington, D.C., for a recent fundraiser."
 
* Culture war: "The Walt Disney Company has joined a growing list of corporate sponsors to cut ties with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) over a controversial policy banning gay adult leaders."
 
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.