Because of Moscow's support for Maduro, the international community and market analysts are closely watching the relationship of Russian oil companies with Venezuela.

"Litasco does not work with Venezuela. Before the restrictions were imposed, Litasco had operations to deliver oil products and to sell oil. There were swap operations. Today there are none, since the sanctions were imposed," Lukoil's Alekperov said at the Russian Investment Forum in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Another Russian oil producer, Gazprom Neft, however, does not see major risks for its oil business in Venezuela, the company's chief executive officer Alexander Dyukov said at the same event.

Gazprom Neft has not supplied and does not supply oil products to Venezuela needed to dilute the thick heavy Venezuelan oil, Dyukov said, noting that the Latin American country hadn't approached Gazprom Neft for possible supply of oil products for diluents.

Galloway slams 'Seven Dwarfs' for ditching Labour, says he wants to rejoin party

© Global Look Press / ZUMAPRESS.com / Daniel Leal-Olivas

George Galloway says he has formally asked the Labour Party to let him rejoin after his "ridiculous expulsion" by Tony Blair over his opposition to the Gulf War.

The former Labour MP revealed his application in a nine-minute-long video commenting not only on his hopes for the future of the Labour Party, but criticising the party's breakaway MPs, dubbing them the 'Seven Dwarfs'.

Galloway made reference to other rebel Labour MPs who may join their colleagues in exiting the party as a "whole raft of rats who are about to jump ship in the hope it will sink that ship," but that Labour will not only survive the departures but be "the more resplendent for being rid of them."

Galloway, who was an MP for 30 years, also spoke of when the so-called 'Gang of Four' quit the party back in 1981. The key difference between then and now, according to Galloway, is that while the four who left almost 40 years ago had gravitas and political heft, the "same cannot be said of the seven dwarfs on parade this morning."

Chris Leslie delivered an "honest statement" as a "supporter of the status quo" when the breakaway MP opined that Labour could not fulfil its election promises due to economic constraints, Galloway said, however:

Jeremy Corbyn's program can only be afforded if there are radical changes in the British economy, if the rich pay more for living in Britain in the way that they have been dodging doing over many, many decades.

The plan can only work "if there is a redistribution of wealth and ownership of the British economy," which is something Corbyn and Galloway think is justified. However, he said that Leslie and "people like him" do not want any fundamental change.

He dismissed accusations of anti-Semitism in Labour, Corbyn or those around him as a "lie," adding that Corbyn has been fighting anti-Semitism and racism "all of their lives." Further to that, Galloway said that all seven of the MPs who confirmed leaving Labour on Monday are associated with a group called 'the Labour Friends of Israel' and that their concern is not anti-Semitism, but anti-Israelism, and Corbyn's recognition of injustices against the Palestinian people.

Touching on Brexit, Galloway accused the group of trying to "thwart" the referendum result and "spit in the face" of the millions who voted in their encouragement for another vote: "The worst possible thing for social peace in Britain would be a political elite of which they are perfect quintessential examples to stab the British people's decision to leave the EU in the back."

A vocal opponent of the Iraq war, the ex-MP was officially expelled from the Labour Party in 2003 for inciting British troops to disobey what he described as illegal orders, and for bringing the party into disrepute.

In his video statement on Monday, Galloway said that unlike those "who ditched the Labour Party today, I believe in Labour." The people who kicked him out of the party almost killed Labour, he claimed, but "Jeremy Corbyn has brought it back to life."

'We are actually f***ed': BBC airs swear-laden voiceover during Labour split

The BBC has been left red-faced after a voice commenting during their live broadcast of the Labour Party split was heard saying that "between this and Brexit we are actually f***ed."

Seven Labour MPs announced their decision to leave the party and set off on their own as an independent group on Monday morning, and the BBC was covering the event in London when viewers were surprised to hear the unexpected political commentary coming from someone off-screen.

The clip is under investigation, according to the BBC, which did not confirm or deny that an employee made the remarks.

"Due to an error, we inadvertently broadcast some background comments from another microphone during our coverage of the press conference this morning. We apologised on air once we realised our mistake," a BBC spokesperson told The Guardian.

Giggling viewers who caught the gaffe took to Twitter to share their delight and provide their own commentary, while some speculated if the technical glitch was actually an insight into the station's political preferences.

'Good riddance': Twitter reacts to #LabourSplit as 7 MPs jump ship

[...]

In a press conference, Umunna stated that the established parties "cannot be the change because they have become the problem" arguing that it is "time we dumped this country's old-fashioned politics."

Jewish MP Luciana Berger said she was "embarrassed and ashamed" at what the Labour Party had become and criticized her former party for becoming "sickeningly institutionally racist."

"I am leaving behind a culture of bullying, bigotry and intimidation. I look forward to a future serving with colleagues who respect each other," she added.

Reaction to the news online has been a mixture of shock and dismay, to outright derision. Some Labour supporters were quick to delight in the departures, suggesting the party will be stronger without detractors undermining it from within.

Others though said it was time for Jeremy Corbyn to take the criticism seriously.

Meanwhile, some Twitter users commented on Young Labour's somewhat barbed response to the situation.

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The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) noted earlier this week they are now clearing the village of Baghouz, which is from their point of view the last settlement in Syria controlled by the Daesh terrorist group.

Addressing the local Syrian authorities on Sunday, President Bashar al-Assad dwelled on the US-backed Kurds fighting against the terrorists in the area:

Bashar al-Assad told the heads of Syrian local municipal councils, as aired on Syrian television. He continued by saying that all Syrian regions will be liberated by the republic's military forces, "which are absolutely capable of defending the residents of the northeastern areas bordering Turkey".

"Americans will sell you to Turkey. No one will defend you, but the Syrian army", Assad added.

He further noted that a number of countries are hindering the refugees from returning to their home country. Assad pointed out:

"The countries that take interest in the refugee issue, handicap their return to Syria... A considerable number of refugees have for the past few years been one of the sources of corruption, which benefit officials from countries that support terrorists, officials from organisations that were supposed to provide humanitarian aid, which ended up, as you know, in terrorists' hands. De-emphasising the refugee issue would deprive these countries of political leverage and material benefits".

"We won't let these forces hostile to Syria use the refugees' sufferings as a political map in their interests", Assad stressed adding that everybody, who had left Syria due to threats by terrorists, will be welcomed back and "will be able to make a contribution to the country's post-war reconstruction".

The president then recalled 2018, when tens of thousands of Syrian citizens successfully made it back to the country from neighbouring lands.

Meanwhile, US special representative to Syria James Jeffrey has addressed the Munich Security Conference, outlining Washington's plans on troop withdrawal and subsequent goals in the region "to bring it in line with a dozen UN and other international agreements on how to treat your own citizens and how to behave in the region".

As the fight against Daesh in Syria is nearing its end, the question of the final showdown over Idlib in the country's northwest, occupied by terrorist forces loosely supported by Turkey, remains, as do Israeli attacks in the south.

Separately, back on 9 February, the SDF announced the start of an operation aimed at liberating Baghouz, the last remaining Daesh enclave located not far from the border with Iraq in Deir ez-Zor province, from Daesh terrorists.

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