The US put pressure on Danish authorities to close the Kurdish Roj TV channel in order to appease Turkey. This was done so Anders Fogh Rasmussen's position as NATO secretary general would be secure, the station's lawyer told RT amid WikiLeaks revelations.

WikiLeaks documents released back in March suggest Rasmussen abused his powers during his time as Denmark's prime minister, in order to secure his future job.

In 2009, Denmark reportedly agreed to start legal action against Roj TV, a Kurdish separatist channel that was broadcasting from Copenhagen, in order to appease Turkey. In return, Ankara said it would back Rasmussen as the future NATO chief.

"There were some conflicts of political character between Denmark and Turkey. And the US intervened because they liked very much [for the] then-Danish prime minister to become secretary general. And therefore they felt confident with him as a secretary general," Roj TV lawyer Bjorn Elmquist told RT.

"There was big pressure from the US to think in a creative manner how to indict and how to prove that Roj television was promoting terrorism. And in the end, the indictment was there. And within hours after that indictment it was announced that there was an agreement between the Turkish government and the other NATO countries to decide for the previous Danish prime minister to be secretary general."

Roj TV began broadcasting in 2004. In 2010, it was accused in Denmark of promoting terrorist activities. It was officially shut down in February 2014.

From the beating of Rodney King to the murder of Kelly Thomas, police tactics in the U.S. have become so heavy-handed that people are regularly being murdered by those ostensibly sworn 'to protect and to serve' them.

The militarization of police forces - particularly since 9/11, the steady erosion of civil rights via draconian laws, and an atmosphere of hysteria generated by the 'War on Terror' have all combined to place the police 'above the law'.

But tyrannical and dictatorial repression is what 'those other countries' do, right? Why is it, then, that we constantly see headlines of people in the U.S. being beaten, tasered, and even shot to death for such minor infringements as traffic violations? Are cops 'out of control'? Are they 'just obeying orders'?

Running Time: 01:54:00

Download: MP3

While the human politics of the crisis in Ukraine garner all the headlines, it is the gas politics that in many ways lies at the heart of the conflict.

Indeed, the energy issue has not only framed much of the economic dimensions of the crisis, it has revealed the deep divides that exist among the political and business elite of Europe who, despite their bluff and bluster about Russia's actions in Ukraine and the expansion of sanctions, understand quite clearly that Russia is an integral part of Europe's economic future.

However, that hasn't stopped the West and its proxies and clients in Eastern Europe from attempting to undermine Russia's strategic economic position through a variety of means. From derailing negotiations over pipeline construction to using puppet governments as a wedge between Moscow and Europe, the US and its allies have attempted to undermine Russia's economic and strategic position vis-à-vis gas delivery infrastructure, while simultaneously strengthening their own.Ukraine and the threat to Russia and Europe

Lost amid the horror stories of Kiev's military assault on the people of Donbas, the vicious attacks by Right Sector Nazis, and the general state of chaos in Ukraine's political institutions, is the fact that one of the central aspects of the Ukraine-Russia conflict is gas. Specifically, it centers on the Russian energy delivery infrastructure (pipelines, refineries, etc.) in Ukraine and its vital importance to Russia's continued energy exports to Europe.

Also, Kiev and the Russian energy giant Gazprom have been busy trying to negotiate terms of payment for the massive bill (at least $4 billion, though likely more) Ukraine owes, which undoubtedly raises the stakes for both sides as billions of dollars are on the line. Were the conflict only financial, then undoubtedly a resolution could be reached. However, in recent weeks there have been dangerous developments and accusations, which have cast the issue in a new light; it is no longer merely about profits, it's about security.

Saudi Arabia has dismissed accusations from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki that it supports terrorist groups in Iraq as "ludicrous."

Addressing a press conference in Jeddah at the end of the 41st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday, Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal took a dig at Al-Maliki. "Those allegations are not from Iraq but Al-Maliki," he said.

He blamed Al-Maliki's sectarian policies for the crisis in Iraq.

"We have unequivocally condemned the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) as a terrorist group," said Prince Saud. "ISIS does not represent the will of the Iraqi people."

Responding to a question from Arab News that some people see the events in Iraq as a people's revolution, he said: "We don't see ISIS as revolutionaries. They found the space to operate in Iraq because of the policies of the (Al-Maliki) government that divided Iraqis, treated them unequally, subjugated and terrorized them."

Prince Saud said the Iraqi prime minister indulged in politics of vengeance and behaved in a dictatorial way by consolidating power in his office. "This is what led to the presumption that this is a people's revolt," he said.

Al-Maliki's politics of hate "led to the breaking of the will of the security forces in meeting the challenge of the terrorists," he said. "ISIS is a terror organization. It is not a savior, but a destroyer of Iraq," said Prince Saud. He said the Kingdom was "opposed to all militias" from whatever sect.

He said no one has suffered more than Saudi Arabia from terrorism. "We fought a successful battle against them," he said. "Therefore, those allegations (from Al-Maliki) are ludicrous," he said.

The Obama Administration has been pursuing a policy of covert support for the Muslim Brotherhood and other insurgent movements in the Middle East since 2010. MEB has obtained a just-released U.S. State Department document through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit that confirms the Obama Administration's pro-active campaign for regime change throughout the Middle East and North Africa region.

The October 22, 2010 document, titled "Middle East Partnership Initiative: Overview," spells out an elaborate structure of State Department programs aimed at directly building "civil society" organizations, particularly non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to alter the internal politics of the targeted countries in favor of U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives.

The five-page document, while using diplomatic language, makes clear that the goal is promoting and steering political change in the targeted countries: "The Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) is a regional program that empowers citizens in the Middle East and North Africa to develop more pluralistic, participatory, and prosperous societies. As the figures in this overview illustrate, MEPI has evolved from its origins in 2002 into a flexible, region-wide tool for direct support to indigenous civil society that mainstreams that support into the daily business of USG diplomacy in the region. MEPI engages all the countries of the NEA region except Iran. In the seven of NEA's eighteen countries and territories with USAID missions, country-level discussions and communication between MEPI and USAID in Washington ensure that programming efforts are integrated and complementary."

In a section of the document titled "How MEPI Works," three core elements of the program were spelled out: region-wide and multi-country programming, local grants, and country-specific projects. The objectives of the region-wide and multi-country programming were described as: "builds networks of reformers to learn from and support one another, and to catalyze progressive change in the region." The local grants "provide direct support to indigenous civic groups, and now represent more than half of MEPI's projects." Under the country-specific aspect of the program, designated officers of the U.S. embassies manage the funding and work as direct liaisons to the various funded local NGOs and other civil society groups. The "country-specific projects" are tasked "to respond to local developments and local needs, as identified by our embassies, local reformers, and our own field analysis. Political developments in a country may produce new opportunities or challenges for USG policy goals, and MEPI will shift funds to respond to these needs."

A former Downing Street adviser has been charged with making and possessing indecent images of children.

Patrick Rock, who was involved in Government policy on filtering online child abuse images, resigned shortly before his arrest in February.

The 63-year-old has had a glittering career as a Conservative Party adviser spanning 30 years and in the 1970s was credited with coining the slogan "cows moo, dogs bark, Labour puts up taxes".

On Friday, he was charged with three offences of making indecent images of children and one offence of possession of 59 indecent images of children.

The four charges cover alleged offences committed between 31 July and 31 August 2013.

The pictures have been classed as level C by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), defined as "indecent images depicting erotic posing with no sexual activity".

The first ten Russian Sukhoi fighter jets arrived in Iraq on Saturday, the country's Defense Ministry said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping the jets will make a key difference in the fight against ISIS.

"The fighter jets landed today in the morning on different military airfields," MP Abbas al-Bayati told Iraqi media.

The official spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Mohammed al-Askari, also confirmed the information, Al Iraqiya TV channel reported.

The fighter jets will be stationed at an airbase located in the southern part of the country, PressTV reported, citing military sources.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Maliki revealed that Iraq purchased jets from Russia and Belarus in order to help its fight against Sunni militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS/ISIL).

At the same time, Maliki criticized the US for taking too long to deliver on its own contract after Iraq purchased F-16 jets from America.

In an apparent breach of the ceasefire, Ukrainian forces shelled residential parts of Slavyansk for nearly an hour on Sunday, destroying buildings and killing at least 3 civilians. Ukrainian media claimed that a pro-Kiev checkpoint had been attacked.

Despite the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine being prolonged till June 30 by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, it appears that the National Guard units fighting in Slavyansk have given little heed to the president's order and continued to shell the defiant city.

WARNING: GRAPHIC FOOTAGE BELOW


Overnight into Sunday and later during the day, the districts of the Donetsk Region city facing Ukrainian troop positions on Karachun Hill came under heavy fire, with the longest attack going on for some forty-five minutes in broad daylight, local resident Roman Litvinov told RT over the phone.

A Verkhovna Rada deputy who is also an ex-defense minister of Ukraine, said during a prime time talk-show that the country's "patriots" would be justified "to kill" Russian President Vladimir Putin if he came to Kiev.

Anatoly Gritsenko made his shocking statement speaking on the popular national talk show 'Shuster Live'.

"Putin won't stop. He wants not only Ukraine, he wants the Baltic States and other countries," claimed Gritsenko, who was a presidential candidate twice, in the 2010 and 2014 Ukrainian elections. Gritsenko did not elaborate on what had driven him to such a conclusion.

Calling the Russian president "a fascist," Gritsenko went on to say that he cannot imagine Vladimir Putin coming to Ukraine to sign some kind of a deal.

"I believe there are patriots who would volunteer to kill him - and that would be the right thing to do," Gritsenko remarked.

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine, admittedly an attempt to expand both NATO and the European Union (EU), has escalated in terms of dominating Europe's energy markets. Attempts to halt the ongoing construction of Russia's South Stream natural gas pipeline appears to be a direct attempt to further penalize Russia for its role in defending Ukrainians currently under siege by aircraft, artillery, heavy armor and irregular troops.
Toward a Europe "Whole and Free," and its Energy Market Too

"Toward a Europe Whole and Free" was literally the title of NATO's Atlantic Council's May 2014 event celebrating NATO's continuous expansion since the fall of the Soviet Union and its aspirations to integrate all along Russia's borders and even Russia itself into its geopolitical socioeconomic order. The Atlantic Council's official program webpage for the event stated:

This two-day conference will honor the historic milestones that have forged a strong and prosperous Atlantic community and explore the most pressing challenges to the completion of a Europe whole and free. This vision, successfully implemented for two decades with a bipartisan and transatlantic strategy, has been called into question both within current NATO and EU members and by Russia's aggressive actions. Leaders and experts will gather at the Council's headquarters to debate the opportunities and challenges in Europe's east and south with the aim of exploring a renewed common transatlantic approach.