US President Barack Obama has announced American sanctions against Russia are to be prolonged for another year.

"The actions and policies addressed in the Executive Orders continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States," he said. "Therefore, I am continuing for one year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13660."

Sanctions were initially introduced in 2014 because of Russia's alleged role in the Ukrainian crisis and the accession of the Crimean Republic into the Russian Federation. They restrict economic activity between US citizens and companies with a number of Ukrainian and Russian businesses and individuals.

"I found that the actions and policies of the Government of the Russian Federation with respect to Ukraine undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets," said Obama.

This month marks the 45th anniversary of a dramatic moment in U.S. history. On March 8, 1971—while Muhammad Ali was fighting Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden, and as millions sat glued to their TVs watching the bout unfold—a group of peace activists broke into an FBI office in Media, Pennsylvania, and stole every document they could find.

Keith Forsyth, one of the people who broke in, explained on Democracy Now!:

I was spending as much time as I could with organizing against the war, but I had become very frustrated with legal protest. The war was escalating and not de-escalating. And I think what really pushed me over the edge was, shortly after the invasion of Cambodia, there were four students killed at Kent State and two more killed at Jackson State. And that really pushed me over the edge, that it was time to do more than just protest.

The news has been abuzz before and during the ceasefire announced amid Syria's conflict about Saudi Arabia's possible intervention. Saudi Arabia has threatened to intervene amid incomprehensible, contradicting rhetoric, claiming that it would enter Syrian territory to "fight" IS (the Islamic State), but would do so only now because the Syrian government has refused to step down.

Of course, the only coherent forces on the ground fighting IS now are the Syrian government's troops and Kurdish fighters who now appear to be working with Damascus. Saudi Arabia's intervention to remove President Bashar al Assad from power would seem to work in IS' favor, not against it. To give Saudi Arabia's confusing threats some teeth, Riyadh announced its "Northern Thunder" military exercises which it claimed would be one of the largest military exercises ever held. The United Arab Emirates' The National, would report in an article titled, "Saudi Arabia hosts joint military exercise," that:

Armed forces from 20 countries have begun manoeuvres in northeastern Saudi Arabia, described by the official Saudi Press Agency as one of the world's biggest military exercises. Troops from the other five Gulf Arab states - the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar - as well as Pakistan, Malaysia, Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Sudan are among those participating in the Ra'ad Al Shamal, or Northern Thunder, exercise, Spa agency reported. The military drill - which began on Saturday and involves ground, air and naval forces - will be "one of the world's most important military exercises based on the number of forces participating and the area of territory used", the agency said.

While that sounds impressive, with Saudi news outlets claiming some 350,000 troops were expected to participate, not a single photo or video has surfaced so far showing this impressive force in action. The entire point of mounting such monumental military exercises is to show off one's military power to the world, not merely write about it in news articles. And more specifically, in Saudi Arabia's case, such exercises are meant to show those nations it is trying to coerce by threat of military force just what it faces if concessions are not made.

This month, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation interviewed Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban, Political and Media Advisor to Syria's President. The methods used to undermine Shaaban's message should come as no surprise.

The interview was typical of the infrequent times corporate media has bothered to interview Dr. Shaaban: loaded lexicon, pre-priming the audience with false allegations about the Syrian government, repeatedly cutting-off the high-ranking guest, and a notably rude and condescending demeanor not afforded to guests who tow the NATO narrative on Syria.

As with other top Syrian representatives, Shaaban is made out to be "non-credible" by corporate media pundits when they deign to interview her. They actively work to discredit Syrian officials while at the same time putting forth claims that Wahhabi terrorists are "rebels"and "Syrian representatives" and those warring on Syria are "concerned" about widespread suffering in the country.

Sanctions: It is the Syrian People Who Are Suffering

Dr. Shaaban emphasized the Syrian realities at a meeting in her office in December.

A crucially-important issue that media pundits ignore is that of the crippling sanctions on Syria. In terms of how to provide actual relief to the Syrian people, Dr. Shaaban stated:

The first thing the West should do in this battle against terrorism is to lift the sanctions from the Syrian people. The sanctions are helping terrorists against the Syrian people, who are suffering doubly from the terrorists and from Western measures against the Syrian people.

Stephen Gowans recently wrote about the US government's long-time plans to topple the Syrian government, sanctions being one part of the plot.

"Documents prepared by US Congress researchers as early as 2005 revealed that the US government was actively weighing regime change in Syria. ...As an alternative to direct military intervention to topple the Syrian government, the United States chose to pressure Damascus through sanctions and support for the internal Syrian opposition."

One month ago, when looking at the latest Canadian official international reserves, we noticed something strange: Canada had sold nearly half of its gold reserves in one month. According to the February data, total Canadian gold reserves stood at 1.7 tonnes. That was just 0.1 per cent of the country's total reserves, which also include foreign currency deposits and bonds.

As we noted, the decision to sell came from Finance Minister Bill Morneau's office.

"Canada's gold reserves belong to the Government of Canada, and are held under the name of the Minister of Finance," explained a spokesperson for the Bank of Canada on Wednesday. "Decisions relative to gold holdings are taken by the Minister of Finance."
Reached by Global News on Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for the finance department said the sale "was done in the normal course of business for the government. The decision to sell the gold was not tied to a specific gold price, and sales are being conducted over a long period and in a controlled manner."

Western attempts to exclude Russia from shaping European and global affairs have led to countless historical tragedies over the centuries, according to Moscow's foreign minister, who added lasting stability can only be reached through cooperation.

In an article for the Russia in Global Affairs magazine, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov outlines the historical importance of Russian foreign policy over the course of the last 1,000 years, arguing that Russian policy has always been based on preserving the fragile balance of peace and stability in international relations. Any attempts to isolate Moscow as a major world power have led to historical defeats and countless deaths, he says.

"During at least the past two centuries any attempts to unite Europe without Russia and against it have inevitably led to grim tragedies, the consequences of which were always overcome with the decisive participation of our country," Lavrov wrote.

Being the largest country on earth with a unique "cultural matrix," Russia has always followed its own national interests, Lavrov says. Yet at the same time it has served as a bridge between the East and the West, while Russians have always welcomed and respected numerous religions and cultures.

Foreign Policy Diary - Dutch EU-Ukraine Association Agreement Referendum

Ukraine should remain an important transit country for gas supplies from Russia to Europe, said Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission Vice-President for Energy Union. He is in Kiev to take part in the Ukrainian Energy Forum. He said Moscow, Kiev and the European Commission should hold a meeting soon. The contract for Russian gas transit through Ukraine to Europe was signed by Gazprom and Ukraine's Naftogaz in 2009 and expires at the end of 2019.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak earlier said that Russia had no plans to abandon gas transit through Ukraine, but isn't going to extend the contract on unfavorable conditions. The announcement came as Naftogaz radically increased transit fees for Gazprom. The two gas companies have gone to court over the contracts for gas supplies and transit since they couldn't reach a compromise.

In January, the anti-monopoly committee of Ukraine fined Russia's Gazprom $3.4 billion for alleged abuse of its dominant position in the Ukrainian gas transit market. This followed a bill for $2.5 billion from Gazprom to Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz for failing to buy the contracted 10,485 billion cubic meters of gas in the third quarter of 2015.

In recent months Ukraine significantly reduced gas imports from Russia in an effort to reduce its energy reliance on Moscow. To cover its needs, the country bought supplies of Russian gas from Slovakia.

Reports have emerged that Kurds have shot down a helicopter over Iraqi Kurdistan, which they say was used in airstrikes against them. Turkish officials have made no comment, but a source confirmed to RT that the incident took place.

Previously Ankara acknowledged conducting airstrikes on alleged PKK targets in Iraq. Turkish military is also targeting Kurds inside the country and shelling Kurdish militias in northern Syria.

One sortie apparently got wrong for a Turkish assault helicopter as Iraqi Kurdish militia claim they got the aircraft down.

Kani Xulam, from the American Kurdish Information Network, told RT that official Ankara would refrain from reporting any losses in operations against the Kurds, striving to portray the Turkish military as "invincible an power that cannot been beaten."

The Kurdish People's Defense Force (HPG) and fighters from the people's militia were able to repel terrorists' attacks in a number of neighborhoods in Syria's city of Aleppo, killing 70 militants, a source in the people's militia said Thursday.

Earlier, al-Nusra Front terrorists fired rockets at several mainly Kurdish-populated residential areas in city of Aleppo in northern Syria.

The group also reportedly attacked a number of Syrian army and people's militia checkpoints in Aleppo.