Main News of March 11

A roundup of what has happened in the past 24 hours

WORLD

* The parliament of Crimea, a majority ethnic Russian region within Ukraine, declared independence ahead of a popular vote on secession and annexation by Russia

* The Crimean parliament banned the activities of nationalist political organizations instrumental in the recent Ukrainian revolution, citing security threats

* Washington’s decision to allocate $1 billion in financial aid to the new government in Kiev contradicts domestic US laws, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

* A Ukrainian politician who headed an eastern Russian-speaking region until earlier this month has been detained for inciting secession, prosecutors said

RUSSIA

* An airborne division based in central Russia began large-scale exercises against the backdrop of an ongoing political and security crisis in Ukraine