Putin Wins

Vladimir Putin has extended his grip on Russia for another six years after an overwhelming victory in Sunday's presidential election, a result that was never in doubt. With 99.8% of the votes counted, Putin won with 76.7%, according to Central Election Commission data. It means Putin will rule until 2024, when he will be 71 and obliged by law to step down. Putin sailed to victory against the backdrop of wall-to-wall support from state media and with no serious challenger. Putin, a former KGB spy, has dominated Russian politics for 18 years and the 65-year-old was already the country's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. He declared victory in front of thousands of people gathered in below-freezing temperatures in Moscow near the Kremlin, where he called for unity in the country. Under current Russian law, Putin can not stand for re-election again. But he has not groomed a successor, prompting speculation he may try to find ways to extend his power beyond this term. Putin's critics have slammed the election as unfair, citing the Kremlin's tight control over the media, quelling of the opposition and restrictions on some election monitors to ensure a free vote.

In Other News A Cirque du Soleil performer died Saturday night after he fell during a performance in Tampa, Florida. The Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group said in a statement that Yann Arnaud, an aerialist, was performing during the company's show "VOLTA" when he plummeted to the stage. Arnaud received medical attention and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died. Nearly two weeks after a 16-year-old Pennsylvania girl vanished with a 45-year-old man, the pair was found Saturday in Mexico and the man was arrested. Amy Yu was "unharmed and in good health," Allentown police said in a statement. She and Kevin Esterly, the man police say she willingly ran away with, were escorted to Miami by US Homeland Security Investigations agents and the US Marshals Service. Amy has been safely returned to her family in Pennsylvania, according to a statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security investigators. On Sunday alone, men’s No. 1 Xavier, No. 2 Cincinnati, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Michigan State, and No. 4 Auburn all bowed out of the tournament. Friday and Saturday saw the knocking out of Virginia, Arizona, and Wichita State.