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Lavrov says Moscow requests special UNSC briefing over US actions in Mosul


Sputnik
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:57 UTC
Sergey Lavrov
© Sputnik/ Grigoriy Sisoev
Moscow has requested a special briefing of the UN Security Council in connection with the US actions in Mosul that left civilians dead, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday.

Sputnik cited a representative of the Iraqi Turkmen Front as confirming following media reports last week the death of 200 civilians due to bombings carried out by coalition forces on Islamic State (banned in Russia) positions in Mosul. It was unclear from multiple reports, however, whether the casualties were due to air strikes or Iraqi ground forces fire.

"Today we requested a special briefing in the Security Council. I do not think that the Security Council will be able to state its position with one voice on what happened, but we will ask our questions, we will voice our calls and, of course, we will keep this situation under tight control," Lavrov told reporters after talks with his Italian counterpart Angelino Alfano.

He said Moscow is surprised over US actions in Iraq's Mosul, which led to civilian casualties, and added that Russia hopes for accuracy of the coalition's strikes.
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Stormtrooper

'They can't get away with it,' says author of book on NZ 'revenge' raid in Afghanistan


RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:46 UTC
new zealand army
The New Zealand Army says a raid on two Afghan villages detailed in a new book never actually happened. One of the authors told RT this blunt denial was 'ridiculous' and that top military brass are apparently trying to continue a seven-year cover-up.

Nicky Hager is a prominent investigative journalist, whose seventh book was released last week. Co-authored with Jon Stephenson, it details a raid led by New Zealand's special forces, the Special Air Service (NZSAS), conducted in August 2010 in Afghanistan's Baghlan Province. The Kiwis were stationed there as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

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Cheeseburger

Czech MEP shocked on Syria visit: 'Russian military executing excellently planned humanitarian missions'


Sputnik
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:49 UTC
Syrian refugees
© REUTERS/ Omar Sanadik
Russia is planning and carrying out successful humanitarian missions in Syria's city of Aleppo, but the media in the European Union focus solely on reports about the difficult situation in the city, Czech politician Jaromir Kohlicek, a member of the European Parliament, told Sputnik.

"Russian Armed Forces are, firstly, ensuring air support and, secondly, providing humanitarian aid. That was surprising to me, as nobody says anything about it in the EU countries... European media publish only reports on the difficult humanitarian situation in Aleppo and on some organizations criticizing the state of affairs," Kohlicek said upon his visit to Aleppo.

According to the parliamentarian, some units of the Russian forces stationed in Syria were charged exclusively with providing humanitarian aid.

Comment: All it takes is for more politicians to actually visit Syria and find the truth themselves. As for the difference between Western and Eastern countries' understanding of the concept of 'humanitarian aid', well, it speaks volumes...

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Jet5

Settling 'Plan B': Pentagon throws 200 more US troops into Mosul maelstrom


RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:15 UTC
US soldiers
© Omar Sobhani / Reuters
The US military is deploying an additional 200 troops to Mosul to "advise and assist" Iraqi forces in their bid to retake the city, according to ABC, citing defense officials.

Two companies - comprising 200 to 300 soldiers in total - from the 82nd Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team (2nd BCT) are deploying to Iraq to render additional "advise and assist" support to Iraqi forces, Colonel Joseph Scrocca, a spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, toldABC News on Monday.

"This is not a new capability," said Scrocca. "It provides more advise-and-assist assets to our Iraqi partners."

"The number of soldiers does not equate to the remainder of the brigade, as had previously been surmised," Colonel Scrocca added.

Earlier in March, 2,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division were deployed to Kuwait, with the stated goal of taking part in operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in both Syria and Iraq.

Comment: See also: Where's the outcry at massive death toll from US bombing in Mosul?

Will the US declare Kurdistan de facto one of these days?

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Propaganda

Are Russian lives 'tough and thankless,' as the Guardian says?

Bryan MacDonald
RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:14 UTC
Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea
© Pavel Rebrov / Reuters Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea
The house journal of Britain's liberal elite believes Russian lives are "tough and thankless." It's another example of the dreadful quality of English-language coverage of this country.

Correspondents for Western media outlets in Moscow are known as the "hack pack." And the term could be considered pejorative if they hadn't christened themselves with it. Very few are qualified or properly trained journalists, and most of them wouldn't survive five minutes in a proper British or American newsroom. Not only because they'd no longer be able to blame every negative, calamity, hardship, tribulation or rain shower on 'the Kremlin.'
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Airplane

Zacarias Moussaoui the '20th' hijacker wants to testify at Guantánamo's 9/11 trial

Carol Rosenberg
Miami Herald
Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:16 UTC
911 hijacker Zacarias Moussaoui
© Sherburne County Sheriff OfficeZacarias Moussaoui
The man serving life in a federal penitentiary as the "20th hijacker" in the Sept. 11 attacks wants to testify at the 9/11 trial and has written the military judge offering his services.

"I am willing to fully testify on the 9/11 case," Zacarias Moussaoui wrote in broken English in January, "even if I was charge on the death penalty case as it incriminate me." It is handwritten and signed "Slave of Allah."

He also signs it "Enemy Combatant," which he is not. Moussaoui, 48, is a convict serving life at the SuperMax prison in Florence, Colorado. He pleaded guilty in 2005 in a federal court in Virginia to six conspiracy charges related to the 9/11 attacks.
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Arrow Down

Moscow battens down the hatches, preparing budget for era of cheap crude


RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:34 UTC
oil rig
© Sergey Karpukhin / Reuters
After joining major global oil producers in production cuts to stabilize crude prices, Russia has prepared a conservative budget for the next three years based on oil prices of $40 per barrel.

This is well below the current $50 trading price for Brent crude, a benchmark linked to Russia's Urals blend.

Moscow and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to look at extending output cuts by six months, aiming to keep prices at a reasonable level.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said it was too early to say if there would be an extension, although the pact was working quite well and all the participants were committed to a hundred percent compliance. Global oil stockpiles will grow in the second quarter of this year, predicts Novak.
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Attention

Trump handed Merkel $375 billion invoice for NATO defenses during recent visit

Tyler Durden
Zero Hedge
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:04 UTC
Donald Trump's refusal to shake Angela Merkel's hand sent Twitter into meltdown mode
© Image Tweeted BY @hadyr2esDonald Trump's refusal to shake Angela Merkel's hand sent Twitter into meltdown mode
A couple of weeks ago we wrote several notes about German Chancellor Angela Merkel's painfully awkward visit to the White House. After meeting in private, the pair sat down in the oval office for a brief press conference where you could cut the tension with a knife. At one point someone from the media asked for a handshake but the request was promptly ignored.

Now, a couple of weeks later, we learn what may have prompted some of the tension in the room between Merkel and Trump that day. According to a new report from The Times of London today, Trump apparently took advantage of Merkel's visit to Washington D.C. to pass her a $375 billion invoice for 'overdue' NATO defense expenses. Per The Hill, Merkel largely ignored the invoice though it certainly seems to have accomplished it's goal of ruffling some feathers.
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Treasure Chest

Europe's largest banks made over a quarter of their profits in offshore tax havens last year


RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 11:27 UTC
Luxenbourg tax haven
© Francois Lenoir / Reuters Luxembourg is the most notable tax haven around the world, offering secrecy and advantageous tax laws for large corporations.
A report by Oxfam suggests Europe's largest banks have registered over a quarter of their profits in offshore tax havens last year. The continent's top 20 lenders avoided paying tax on an estimated €25 billion, the study finds.

The report follows increased international scrutiny of corporate tax avoidance.

The lenders paid no tax on profits of €383 million posted in seven tax havens last year while booking earnings of €4.9 billion in Luxembourg - more than they did in the UK, Sweden, and Germany combined.
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Star of David

Jewish state: US Vice President Pence confirms Trump is mulling Israeli embassy Jerusalem move


RT
Mon, 27 Mar 2017 12:05 UTC
US Vice President Mike Pence
© Joshua Roberts / ReutersUS Vice President Mike Pence
US Vice President Mike Pence has confirmed that Donald Trump is thinking about moving the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The VP's statement is another sign of President Trump's commitment to the Jewish state.

"I am proud to say today America's support for Israel's security is at a record level. And President Trump has made it absolutely clear - our commitment to Israel's defense is not negotiable - not now, not ever," Pence said at the annual AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Conference in Washington, DC on Sunday.

"The president of the United States is giving serious consideration to moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem," Pence also said.

Comment: See also:
  • #JewishResistance: Protesters block AIPAC conference calling for end to Israel occupation (VIDEOS)
  • Dozens arrested in ultra-Orthodox anti-draft protests


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