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The EU to lift anti-Iran sanctions upon release of UN nuclear agency report


Press TV
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 20:05 UTC
european Union
The European Union (EU) is ready to lift economic sanctions against Iran as soon as the UN nuclear agency verifies Tehran's compliance with its obligations under a nuclear agreement it reached with six world powers last July, sources say. Diplomatic sources said on Friday the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to issue its final report possibly later in the day or over the weekend confirming that Iran has lived up to its obligations under the nuclear agreement, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

They added that the IAEA is expected to confirm that Iran had fulfilled its obligations so that the 28-nation EU, alongside the United States and the United Nations, can end their sanctions on what is known as "Implementation Day" for the JCPOA.
"When the report from the IAEA is published, the European Union will be ready," one of the sources said.
The source added that the EU member states were agreeing the precise instruction which would then be finalized by the Netherlands, the bloc's rotating presidency. Iran and the P5+1 - the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China plus Germany finalized the text of the JCPOA in the Austrian capital of Vienna in July 2015.

Comment: The sanctions against Iran have been ridiculous and completely unwarranted. Tehran, unlike the United States, hasn't invaded another country for hundreds of years. The only 'threat' it poses is one of leadership for Middle Eastern unity. The US can no longer impede its progress, and it is good to see Iran's return to its well earned place in the world's economic community.

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Jet1

US targets Iraq's infrastructure and residential areas in aerial assaults


Press TV
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:53 UTC
Iraq bombing
The so-called anti-Daesh air raids by US-led coalition forces are inflicting heavy damage on Iraq's infrastructure as well as residential areas in the Arab state, a military source says. Ahmed al-Asadi, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, told the al-Ghad newspaper on Friday that Iraq's infrastructure and civilian buildings have been the target of "unbridled" aerial assaults by the US-led forces.

US jets destroyed nearly 80 percent of infrastructure in the recently-liberated city of Ramadi in Anbar Province, said Asadi, adding that the severe damage comes while Iraqi authorities have repeatedly asked US-led forces to stop the destructive bombing attacks. Numerous reports show many civilians have so far fallen victim to the US-led bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria over the past year.

The US and its allies in the so-called anti-Daesh coalition have been launching airstrikes against what they claim to be Daesh positions in Iraq since August last year. A month later, the US-led coalition began pounding purported Daesh positions inside neighboring Syria, without any authorization by the Syrian government or the United Nations. This is while many parties to the same coalition are widely accused of having contributed to the formation of such terror groups in Syria over the past few years.

Comment: In case anyone has been hiding under a rock, it is the US who destroys infrastructure and barrel bombs civilians. The lies we're told about Assad and Russia are just a projection of the very activities for which the US is responsible.

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Airplane

Russian investigation characterizes final MH17 crash report as 'unsubstantiated, inaccurate'


RT
Thu, 14 Jan 2016 19:12 UTC
MH17 crash report
© Michael Kooren / ReutersThe reconstructed airplane serves as a backdrop during the presentation of the final report into the crash of July 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in Gilze Rijen, the Netherlands, October 13, 2015.
Some of the key conclusions of the Dutch Safety Board's final report on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash were 'unsubstantiated and inaccurate,' Russia's aviation agency said in a letter to its counterpart in the Netherlands, citing new research.

Since the final report, released on October 13, 2015, did not reflect many important facts mentioned by the Russian side, the country's experts continued their investigation into the reasons for the crash, Oleg Storchevoy, deputy head of Rosaviatsiya, wrote in a letter addressed to leadership of the Dutch Safety Board (DSB).

The Dutch side confirmed on Thursday receiving Storchevoy's letter and said they would study it and reply as soon as possible.

Flight MH17 crashed in the war-torn Donetsk Region in eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board.

According to the DSB's findings, the Boeing 777 was shot down by a Russian-made Buk missile with a 9N314M warhead. However, the Dutch experts were unable to determine which side in the conflict - the Ukrainian government forces or the rebels - was responsible for firing the missile.

In the letter, the Rosaviatsiya official stresses that the final DSB report "unfairly obscures the issue of liability" for ensuring flight safety over the war-zone in Donbass, "shifting the blame from Ukraine to airlines and international aviation organizations, e.g. the ICAO [International Civil Aviation Organization]."

Comment: In other words, the Dutch report was written up to reach a foregone conclusion, while ignoring any facts that would interfere with that conclusion.

The letter quoted above is available at Fort Russ.

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Heart - Black

Congress without conscience: House votes to block clean water rule despite scandal over contaminated water in Michigan


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:09 UTC
bottled water
© Rebecca Cook / Reuters
The US House of Representatives voted 253-166 this week to overturn a controversial rule to protect America's clean water in spite of a growing scandal in Flint, Michigan over poisonous levels of lead.

Representatives approved a resolution back by the Senate in November that blocks the Environmental Protection Agency's "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule.

The regulation protects streams and wetlands used in local water supplies, but failed after a deluge of lobbying from corporations including Halliburton, Shell, and Tyson foods.

President Obama is expected to veto the bill to protect the rule, at the same time as he considers a request from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to declare a state of emergency.

Frustrated residents have called for the Republican governor's resignation after high levels of deadly lead were found in Flint's drinking water.


Comment: The people have no voice in American politics anymore. If you can't line a politician's pocket, why should he listen to you when there's a dozen people in line waiting to do just that for their special interests. For more about the Flint, Michigan water scandal, see:

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USA

US imperialism: Pentagon chief outlines plan for escalation of Iraq-Syria war


World Socialist Web Site
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:03 UTC
Pentagon
In a speech to US soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division about to deploy to Iraq, US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter gave the most extensive account of the Pentagon's plans to escalate the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria over the next year.

In particular, he singled out the two largest urban areas controlled by ISIS, the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, third-largest in the country, and the group's de facto capital of Raqqa, in eastern Syria, as the main targets for coordinated air, ground and special operations warfare in the next period.
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Document

Russia may begin releasing data on US-coalition activity in Syria


ITAR-TASS
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 17:37 UTC
Igor Konashenkov
© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
The Russian Defense Ministry may begin publishing data on the results of airstrikes of the international coalition in the Middle East, in order to disprove the accusations alleging that the Russian military aim at civilian targets, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Friday.

General Konashenkov recalled that at the end of last year the ministry said that it had the sufficient amount of information on the results of the work of the countries of the anti-Islamic State coalition in Syria. The Defense Ministry said that these results did not always correspond to the stated objectives.
"Frankly speaking, we expected our colleagues not only to pay attention to this, but also to draw certain conclusions. Therefore, to disprove further rumours and accusations against us and if our colleagues keep silent on the results of their bombings in Syria, we will ourselves have to inform the public of these facts," said the Russian official.
According to Konashenkov, in the area of Aleppo where a school was allegedly destroyed by an airstrike more than 10 aircraft of the coalition, as well as attack drones were fulfilling various combat tasks on that day. In addition, since December 20 last year to this day the coalition planes have been making sorties and hitting targets in the area of Aleppo practically every day.
"Thus, the question is: which facilities were targeted in that area by the coalition aircraft? Our colleagues continue to stubbornly keep silent," the Russian defense official said.

Comment: Recent history has provided a mountain of evidence of how the Unites States has committed crimes and then blamed others for what it has done. So, this case of bombing of civilians would not come as a surprise, even if it is an ever horrifying reminder of the type of people who run the US and create chaos where ever they go.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights is a complete sham and here's a few other articles exposing this phony one-man show.

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Stock Down

Wall Street selling in a panic over Dow Jones and S&P plunge, dropping oil prices


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 19:00 UTC
NY Stock Exchange
© Lucas Jackson / Reuters
Fear gripped markets on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Index falling more than 500 points. Global stocks suffered in the wake of oil prices dropping below $30 a barrel and sell-offs occurring in the Chinese stock markets.

The S&P 500 fell below its August low of 1,867, trading more than 3 percent lower by midday. The Dow also showed a drop of more than 3 percent, losing over 500 points. The Nasdaq composite lost more than 4 percent during the same period.

The sell-off dashed hopes about stability on Wall Street, coming just a day after US markets had their best day in over a month. On Thursday, the Dow had jumped 228 points, a nearly two percent increase for the day.
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Eye 2

Terrorist state Turkey arrests 12 academics for denouncing military campaign against Kurds


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 18:33 UTC
judge
© Romeo Gacad / AFP
Turkey has arrested 12 academics for signing a declaration denouncing Ankara's military operations against Kurdish militants. The move comes after more than 1,200 scholars were being investigated for criticizing the Turkish State.

The Anadolu Agency, as cited by AP, says the 12 who were detained by police are lecturers at Kocaeli University in the northwest. Police are still processing the paperwork for nine other academics, who will also be arrested.

The 1,200 academics had been accused of allegedly participating in "terrorist propaganda" after they signed a declaration condemning military operations against Kurdish rebels in the southeast.


Comment: Fine use of words there Erdogan. Anyone criticizing terrorist behavior is part of "terrorist propaganda". Erdogan continues to show his love for Hitler as each day passes.


News of the investigation was reported by Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

Around 1,200 academics from 89 universities, including prominent foreign scholars such as Noam Chomsky, David Harvey and Immanuel Wallerstein, signed the declaration, which was titled: "We won't be a part of this crime."

Comment: The only way Erdogan can keep his dictatorship going is by silencing all the opposition against their terrorist acts. And this is who the US chooses to support? Americans should be in the streets disgusted at their government's support of Erdogan.

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Attention

Child sex abuse epidemic in US military is a reflection of its dehuminizing function around the world

Richard Sudan
RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 17:18 UTC
US Military
Recent figures obtained by the Associated Press have revealed the grim reality of child sex abuse as an epidemic among the US military. According to the report, hundreds of children of US service members are abused each year, most of them being the children of enlisted service members. The information also suggests that more than half of those serving time in US military prisons, or whose cases are working their way through the so-called military justice system, involve child sex abuse.

It should be noted that the full scale of the problem is unclear and remains shrouded in secrecy; according to the Department of Defense, which issued AP the shocking figures after a FOI request, "information that could unintentionally uniquely identify victims was withheld from release to eliminate possible 're-victimization' of the innocent."

Although more information of the crimes is needed to unearth the full scale of the reality, the breakdown of the information gathered to date paints a chilling picture. The AP's findings so far show that between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, there were at least 1,584 substantiated cases of military dependents, or children of US service members, being sexually assaulted.

Enlisted US service-members were found to have abused children in 840 cases, while most of the enlisted service personnel involved were male. Most of the victims were said to have been female. In 2015, US service members were reported to have abused children in 133 of 301 sex crime victims. The information suggests that child sex abusers make up the biggest group (or gang) currently held in military prisons. Needless to say, there is a wide scale problem of child sex abuse that exists among the US military.
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Attention

UK's Ken Livingstone blasts US Ambassador: 'US destabilizes world, not Britain scrapping nukes'


RT
Fri, 15 Jan 2016 16:54 UTC
Former London mayor Ken Livingstone
© Toby Melville / ReutersFormer London mayor Ken Livingstone.
US support for repressive regimes and active opposition to democracy causes global instability, not efforts to scrap nuclear weapons, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone has told the US ambassador to Britain.

Livingstone, currently co-chairing Labour's defense review, responded in withering terms to Ambassador Martin Barzun's claims on Wednesday that getting rid of nuclear weapons quickly could "actually be a destabilizing force and we do not need more destability in the world right now."
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