Greece- EU crisis talks end with Greek reform pledge - "but patience of EU could be running out"

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras assured European Union creditors at late-night crisis talks in Brussels that his leftist-led coalition would soon present a full set of economic reforms in order to unlock cash to stave off bankruptcy.

After two months of mounting frustration on both sides since Tsipras was elected with a mandate to end years of austerity imposed by creditors’ conditions, the three-hour meeting on the sidelines of an EU summit was requested by Tsipras to break an impasse that risks seeing Athens stumble out of the euro zone.

But while a joint statement by the EU institutions spoke of a “spirit of mutual trust” and Tsipras said he left feeling more optimistic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed no money would be released before Athens implements budget measures and other reforms that it has so far been reluctant to consent to.

Note EU-Digest: patience in the EU could be running out if Greece is not able or willing to understand that their economy is completely riddled as a result of a top heavy and overpaid civil service sector, corruption at every level, a tax system which does not work and a government which believes they can "call the shots" on the rest of Europe. Greece better wake-up and smell the roses.

Read more on Greece Europe - EU crisis talks end with Greek reform pledge - France 24

Israel: Netanyahu Deserves the Israeli People, and They Deserve Him :- by Gideon Levy

The first conclusion that arose just minutes after the announcement of the exit polls was particularly discouraging: The nation must be replaced. Not another election for the country's leadership, but general elections to choose a new Israeli people – immediately. The country urgently needs that. It won’t be able to stand another term for Benjamin Netanyahu, who emerged last night as the man who will form the next government.


If after six years of nothing, if after six years of sowing fear and anxiety, hatred and despair, this is the nation's choice, then it is very ill indeed. If after everything that has been revealed in recent months, if after everything that has been written and said, if after all this, the Israeli phoenix succeeded in rising from the ashes and getting reelected, if after all this the Israeli people chose him to lead for another four years, something is truly broken, possibly beyond repair.

Netanyahu deserves the Israeli people and they deserve him. The results are indicative of the direction the country is headed: A significant proportion of Israelis has finally grown detached from reality. This is the result of years' worth of brainwashing and incitement. These Israelis voted for the man who will lead the United States to adopt harsh measures against Israel, for the man whom the world long ago grew sick of.

They voted for the man who admitted to having duped half the world during his Bar-Ilan speech; now he has torn off his mask and disavowed those words once and for all. Israel said "yes" to the man who said "no" to a Palestinian state. Dear Likud voters, what the hell do you say "yes" to? Another 50 years of occupation and ostracism? Do you really believe in that?

On Tuesday the foundations were laid for the apartheid state that is to come. If Netanyahu succeeds in forming the next government in his spirit and image, then the two-state solution will finally be buried and the struggle over the character of a binational state will begin. If Netanyahu is the next prime minister, then Israel has not only divorced the peace process, but also the world. Piss off, dear world, we're on our own.

Please don't interfere, we're asleep, the people are with Netanyahu. The Palestinians can warm the benches at the International Criminal Court at The Hague, the Israel boycotters can swing into high gear and Gaza can wait for the next cruel attack by the Israeli army.

Read more: Netanyahu Deserves the Israeli People, and They Deserve Him  :  Information Clearing House - ICH

Britain: Deputy Prime Minister Clegg:" time to back Palestine state

Nick Clegg has called on David Cameron to recognise a Palestinian state in response to a new hard-line stance from Israel.

The Deputy Prime Minister said Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to rule out a two-state solution during his successful election campaign was "extremely worrying".

He suggested that unless the Israeli leader backed down the UK should follow through on an indicative vote by MPs last October and formally recognize Palestine

Asked about Mr Cameron's position, Mr Clegg replied: "He needs to ask himself, the Conservatives need to ask themselves, what on earth is the consistency with the long held Conservative Party view, Labour Party view, Liberal Democrat Party view, and the international view reflected by the comments from the White House over the last 24 hours that a two state solution remains the only viable route for peace and security for the people of Israel and the people of the region as a whole?

MPs backed recognizing Palestine by a margin of 274 to 12 in October.

Read more: Clegg: time to back palestine state | Daily Mail Online

US - the Republican party: Glenn Beck Declares He Is No Longer A Republican: 'I'm Done With Them' - by Catherine Taibi

Republicans shouldn't expect any support from Glenn Beck in 2016.

The radio host announced on his show Wednesday that he is "done" with the Republican Party.

“I’ve made my decision -- I’m out,” Beck said. "I’m out of the Republican Party. I am not a Republican. I will not give a dime to the Republican Party. I’m out. I highly recommend -- run from the Republican Party. They are not good."

Beck cited the party's handling of the Affordable Care Act and illegal immigration as the reason he is so outraged. He accused Republicans of "torpedoing the Constitution" and said, despite being a supporter four years ago, he is moving on.

"They set us up. Enough is enough," he went on. "So I'm done with them."

Beck's frustration with the GOP is nothing new. In a promo for his web program GBTV in 2011, Beck said of Republicans, "I hate them. I think they are as much of a problem as the other side."

Just last week, the host also threatened to terminate his membership with the National Rifle Association because of one of its board members, who he said is a "very, very bad and dangerous man."

Read More: Glenn Beck Declares He Is No Longer A Republican: 'I'm Done With Them'

Tunisia: EU pledges aid to Tunisia following deadly attack

 Brussels expressed sympathy Friday in the wake of a bloody attack on Tunisia's national museum in which gunmen massacred 21 people. Lawmakers added that the EU would extend economic aid to Tunis:

"The European Union and its member states will intensify cooperation with Tunisia to counter this common terrorist threat, to strengthen Tunisia's promising democracy and to assist its economic and social development," the 28-nation bloc said in a statement.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the two gunmen to the Bardo National Museum in Tunis where they opened fire on a tour bus and killed more than a dozen European visitors.

"This is an attack on Europe and Europe has to respond," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in Brussels as European national leaders are meeting for a two-day summit.

Read more: EU pledges aid to Tunisia following deadly attack | News | DW.DE | 20.03.2015

Eastern Europe: US plans show of force with ‘Dragoon Ride’ through Eastern Europe

The United States is planning a military exercise that will weave its troops through Eastern Europe before they arrive at their home base in Germany – a show of force intended to reinforce its commitment to the Baltic states.

Comprised of the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the convoy will trek some 1,100 miles to Vilseck, Germany after its training mission concludes in Poland, Lithuania and Estonia, Stars and Stripes reported. 

 Beginning on March 21, the troops will move out from these locations and run through Latvia, the Czech Republic and then on to Germany by April 1.
 
The exercise, called a “Dragoon Ride,” will involve the military’s Stryker vehicles – which the US is expected to station in Europe – and stop in a new locale every night. These vehicles are typically transported by rail, but the decision to convoy them to Germany is meant to demonstrate American and NATO commitment to the region.

Read more: US plans show of force with ‘Dragoon Ride’ through Eastern Europe — RT USA

The Solar Eclipse Of 2015 Will Be Visible Only In Europe, But That Doesn't Mean We All Can't Join In The Fun

On Friday, a rare total solar eclipse will temporarily blot out the sun in Europe. The eclipse will be the continent's darkest since 1999, with reductions in sunlight varying from 85 percent in London to a whopping 98 percent in northern Scotland.

ead more: The Solar Eclipse Of 2015 Will Be Visible Only In Europe, But That Doesn't Mean We All Can't Join In The Fun

Airplane Industry - Solar Power: Solar Impulse: Fuel-free aeroplane arrives in Myanmar

In doing so, the solar-powered plane has completed the fourth leg in its historic bid to fly around the world powered only by the Sun's rays.

Project chairman Bertrand Piccard piloted the vehicle, taking off from Varanasi in India early on Thursday.
The trip, which involved crossing the waters of the Bay of Bengal and a tall mountain range, was about 1,400km in length.

The aeroplane is a single-seater, and Piccard takes it in turn with project CEO Andre Borschberg to guide Solar Impulse on its circumnavigation of the globe.

So far, the pair have covered about 4,500km since beginning their adventure in Abu Dhabi on 9 March.
It will likely be another five months before they return to the United Arab Emirates, having crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in the process.

Read more: BBC News - Solar Impulse: Fuel-free aeroplane arrives in Myanmar

Israel; US re-evaluation of Israel policy could pave way to UN condemnation

The US is “evaluating” its policy towards Israel in the wake of Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election and campaign statements. This could involve passing a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

President Obama called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday to congratulate him on winning the March 17 election, and used the opportunity to reaffirm Washington’s commitment to a two-state solution that would result in a “secure Israel alongside a sovereign and viable Palestine.”

The president also brought up Netanyahu’s campaign comment about Israeli Arabs and said the US was reassessing its options\ following the prime minister’s rejection of Palestinian statehood, a White House official told Reuters

Read more: US re-evaluation of Israel policy could pave way to UN condemnation — RT USA

Britain - Freedom of Speech: Civil servants to seek ministerial allowance to speak with media - by Stefano Pozzebon

Civil servants in the UK could be fired if they speak with journalists without first asking for permission from a government minister, the Telegraph reports.

The new measure is contained in the Civil Service Code, which regulates the jobs of about 400,000 public employees across the country. The Code was updated with the new language on March 16.
According to The Telegraph's Ben Riley-Smith, the measure "effectively bans any communication with journalists unless a senior member of the government has given explicit approval."

A source in the Cabinet Office said that the move was an attempt to increase ministerial accountability of civil servants in their department, the Telegraph reports.

The move raises some doubts about the government's commitment to transparency. The Civil Service is a public body created to support the government, but they are politically neutral employees.

Read more: Civil servants to seek ministerial allowance to speak with media - Business Insider

The Netherlands: Dutch Local Elections Deal Blow to Coalition Government - by Maarten van Tartwijk

The ruling coalition of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was delivered a blow on Wednesday, as exit polls showed it suffered losses in a local vote that could ultimately deprive it of the control of the country's Senate.

Read more: Poll Shows Dutch Local Elections Deal Blow to Coalition Government - WSJ

The Middle East Quagmire: In the Middle East, Events Are Outpacing U.S. Policy - by Philip Seib

Five factors guarantee even rougher times ahead for the United States in the Middle East. Individually, they would be only somewhat disruptive; collectively, they are likely to cause major problems for years to come.

First, regardless of how the next Israeli governing coalition takes shape, two principal images will linger in the minds of Arabs: Benjamin Netanyahu saying "No" to creating a Palestinian state, and the U.S. Congress -- or at least its "Republican Guard" members -- wildly applauding the Israeli prime minister. Particularly when taken together, the two underscore the presumed American antipathy toward the Arab world.

Second, Iran's leadership is less worried than U.S. policymakers are about putting "boots on the ground" in Iraq, and so Iran keeps expanding its regional clout while American influence shrivels. The nuclear talks are a useful sideshow for Iran while it accomplishes what it really wants: a de facto political annexation of parts of Iraq.

The United States has yet to learn that air power alone has very limited effect in terms of establishing its user as a force to be reckoned with in a conflict. In the fight against the Islamic State, Iran is increasing its flow of weaponry and ground troops, which -- given the sad state of Iraq's U.S.-trained army -- may be the best hope for pushing back IS forces.

Third, Turkey's foreign policy is increasingly erratic and the United States appears to be making little effort to ensure its NATO ally's meaningful cooperation in dealing with Syria and exercising constructive regional leadership.

Turkey faces a rough year, with increasingly restive Kurds at home and global disapproval on the centennial of the Armenian genocide. The United States can ill afford to have Turkey slip into isolation, which not only would make eventual resolution of the Syrian civil war less feasible but also would further enhance Iran's sway.

Read more: In the Middle East, Events Are Outpacing U.S. Policy | Philip Seib

France - France cut welfare benefits for 290 jihadists last year

Bernard Cazeneuve, the Minister for Social Affairs in France told French lawmakers that the interior ministry had identified close to 300 individuals who had left France to wage jihad in Iraq or Syria, sharing their names with social welfare agencies.

The minister said that thanks to the government’s platform allowing people to report suspected cases of Islamic radicalisation “instances in which persons have travelled outside the national territory are immediately indicated to officials in charge of disbursing social benefits”.

Cazeneuve was answering a question from an opposition lawmaker who expressed concern over French citizens collecting welfare checks while fighting alongside Islamic extremist groups in the Middle East.
“These loopholes ... are not numerous,” Cazeneuve said.

“We shouldn't make a controversy of this subject or allow people to think no action has been taken. We're taking this seriously and will continue to do so,” the minister added.

France has recently adopted several measures to prevent its citizens from joining jihadist groups abroad and to curb the spread of Islamic radicalization at home.

Read more: France - France cut welfare benefits for 290 jihadists last year - France 24

Denmark: 3 injured in Copenhagen shopping center shooting

Three people have been wounded in a Copenhagen shopping center shooting incident, according to Danish media quoting the police.

Local TV 2 spoke to a witness who said security forces were in the building, with weapons drawn. "The guards shouted at us to get to safety, because there was shooting," the witness said.

The shooting was reported to have happened in the shopping center's car park at around noon local time.
Eight people were responsible for the violence at the Fields shopping mall, and they appear to be “two groups who clashed,” Michael Andersen of the Copenhagen police told the Rittzau news agency.

Fields is in the Danish capital’s Amager district and is not only the largest shopping center in Denmark, but one of the biggest in Scandinavia.

Further details are expected soon.

Read more: 3 injured in Copenhagen shopping center shooting — RT News

Middle East - srael: In pictures: Bittersweet election win for Arab Israelis

Celebrations at the Joint List’s headquarters over becoming the third-largest political force in Israel after Tuesday’s elections were muted by concern over the re-election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the prospect of business as usual.

By winning 14 seats in the new parliament, the Joint List alliance of three Arab-Israeli parties and Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality), a Jewish-Arab leftist party, has nevertheless achieved its goal of becoming a significant political force in the country.

"It's the end of the dream for Netanyahu and [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Lieberman of an Israel without Arabs. With the results from this evening we are now clearly present on the political map of the country," Imad Abu Ahmad, an architect and a Hadash activist, told FRANCE 24 in the great hall of Abu Maher in Nazareth.

The Joint List's new political weight in the 120-seat Knesset should allow this formerly marginalised community to advance its two main goals: to establish a real equality between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel and the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank.

Read more: Middle East - In pictures: Bittersweet election win for Arab Israelis - France 24

Tunisia: Deadly museum siege ends in Tunisia with heavy death toll of foreign tourists

Anxiety and grief in Tunisia as a deadly standoff has come to and end two hours after it began.

At least 19 tourists were killed, and 22 wounded during the attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis.

Seventeen of those killed were foreign nationals. Polish, Spanish, German and Italian citizens were among the victims.

More than 100 people were freed during the counter-terror operation.

Two gunmen and one policeman were killed during the raid on the museum, though it’s believed three other attackers could still be at large.

An assault on such a high-profile tourist target is a blow for the country which relies heavily on European tourism.

Prime Minister Habib Essid said the attack targeted the economy and called on “all political parties and civil society to unite with them in the fight against terrorism which targets the stability of the country,” He added, “In government it is our responsibility, and we are prepared, to defend our country.”

MPs in the neighbouring parliament had been debating an anti-terrorism bill when gunfire erupted at midday. Lawmakers sang the national anthem as they waited in safety.

Read more: Deadly museum siege ends in Tunisia with heavy death toll of foreign tourists | euronews, world news

EU-Digest Poll Shows 80 % Of Those Polled Want Returning EU Jihadists Citizenship Revoked

A recent EU-Digest poll conducted from February 1 through the 18th of March shows that 80% of those polled want returning EU Jihadists Citizenship revoked.

20 % said they wanted them incarnated and prosecuted.

A new EU-Digest poll to last through April 19th. wants your opinion on the question: "Should Greece remain in the Eurozone or not ? "

EU-Digest

The Media: Stop giving PR lip service to ISIS/ IS - They Are Enemies of Humanity - Not A Marketable Product - by RM

ISIS Psychopathic Derelicts Execute Innocent Civilians

It is amazing and questionable why the Media in general goes to such great length in providing ISIS or IS with all this free publicity and PR.

The Islamic State is a Fata Morgana, and all the stories about its legality are bogus. Unfortunately the cruel crimes committed by these psychopathic derelicts are a reality.

But sadly, not much has been done to curb the ability of these fanatic criminals to project a (deluted) image which continues to attract numerous individuals to their cause.  An image which indirectly is reinforced by the publicity the media provides them.

Twitter, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, who all have the means to track our whereabouts and activities should at least also be able to use those same capabilities to track these Enemies of Humanity and bar them from using their services to recruit followers and spout their nonsense.

As to the general corporate controlled press, they should, in this particular case at least, forget their profit motives for once. Stop giving these Enemies of Humanity the time of day in your news reports.

EU-Digest

Automobile Industry: Tesla's Elon Musk Predicts Human Drivers Will Be Outlawed - by Robert Sorokanich

At a tech industry conference today, Tesla CEO and furious rumor-tweeter Elon Musk dropped a bombshell opinion on the future of human driving. “It’s too dangerous,” he said, adding that once autonomous driving becomes commonplace, he thinks the obvious move is to outlaw human driving.

The bold claim came at the NVIDIA GPU conference, an industry event hosted by the computer chip maker that’s making concerted moves into supplying components for in-car electronics and advanced driver aid systems. Talking onstage with NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, Musk wasn’t modest about his views on the future of autonomous driving.

“It’s much easier than people think” he said, noting that the most difficult aspect of driving for current autonomous tech is what happens between 15 and 50 mph. “That’s where you get a lot of unexpected things,” Musk said, including road closures, open manhole covers, pedestrians, and the like.

“Once you’re above 50 mph, it gets easier,” he said. “The set of possibilities are reduced.”
Musk thinks self-driving cars are poised to become a ubiquitous fixture in our transportation landscape. “It’s like an elevator,” he said. “There used to be elevator operators, and we developed some simple circuitry … The car is going to be just like that.”

When will that day come? Musk says a fully autonomous driving system might be as little as one year away. “Autonomy is about what level of reliability and safety you want,” he said, noting that once these systems are proven to be safer than human drivers, it will likely take a few years for lawmakers to react.

Once that happens, “we’ll take autonomous cars for granted in a short period of time,” he said. “It’s going to be the default thing and it’s going to save a lot of lives.”

Read more: Tesla's Elon Musk Predicts Human Drivers Will Be Outlawed | Car and Driver Blog

Israel's Radical Right Claims Victory as Netanyahu Emerges With Slight Edge After Tight Race

I'll Be BACK

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to fend off a strong challenge from the country's opposition leader in parliamentary elections Tuesday, emerging from an acrimonious campaign in a slightly better position to form Israel's next government.

But with the sides nearly evenly divided, a victory by Netanyahu's Likud Party still was not guaranteed. His chief rival, Isaac Herzog of the Zionist Union, said he would make "every effort" to form a government, and an upstart centrist party led by a former Netanyahu ally-turned-rival was set to be the kingmaker. The country now heads into what could be weeks of negotiations over the makeup of the next coalition.

Both Netanyahu and Herzog will now compete for a chance to form a coalition that commands a majority in the 120-seat parliament, a daunting task in Israel's fractured political landscape. Netanyahu appeared to have a better chance of cobbling together a government with right-wing and religious parties that he calls his "natural allies." Herzog would have to appeal to more ideologically diverse parties.

Read more: Israel's Netanyahu Emerges With Slight Edge After Tight Race

Greece's Euro Exit Seems Inevitable - by Mark Gilbert

 Greece's money troubles resemble a game of pass the parcel, where each successive participant rips another sheet of wrapping paper off the box -- which turns out to be empty when the final recipient reaches the core. With time and money running out, a successful endgame seems even less likely than it did a week or a month ago. It's increasingly obvious that the government's election promises are incompatible with the economic demands of its euro partners. Something's got to give.

The current money-go-round is unsustainable. Euro-region taxpayers fund their governments, which in turn bankroll the European Central Bank. Cash from the ECB's Emergency Liquidity Scheme flows to the Greek banks; they buy treasury bills from their government, which uses the proceeds to … repay its International Monetary Fund debts! No wonder a recent poll by German broadcaster ZDF shows 52 percent of Germans say they want Greece out of the euro, up from 41 percent last month.

There's blame on both sides for the current impasse. Euro-area leaders should be giving Greece breathing space to get its economic act together. But the Greek leadership has been cavalier in its treatment of its creditors. It's been amateurish in expecting that a vague promise to collect more taxes would win over Germany and its allies. And it's been unrealistic in expecting the ECB to plug a funding gap in the absence of a political agreement for getting back to solvency.

Read more: Greece's Euro Exit Seems Inevitable

Israel: A New Community Rises In The West Bank ... And It's Not Israeli - by Steve Inskeep

Palestinian investor Bashar Masri is building an entirely new city in the West Bank. It's a huge investment, with 5,000 new homes for tens of thousands of families. And, in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it's also a political statement.

As we approached this new city of Rawabi, north of Ramallah, we saw a row of high-rise apartment buildings topped by construction cranes. Scaffolding surrounds the minaret of an incomplete mosque. Nobody has moved in yet.

Masri has had to battle for years, but says he finally has permission to hook up the water system, which is controlled by Israel. The military occupation of the West Bank often complicates Palestinian efforts to build, and this distinctive project was no exception.

The buildings of Rawabi are clad in limestone, and in a stoneyard next to the project, we watched men in hard hats chiseling decorative grooves into stone tiles by hand, one by one by one.
Masri has done as much work as possible locally in order to make it harder for Israel's government to block materials from being brought in.

Some foreign assistance was required, though — namely, financing. In honor of the wealthy Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar, which has invested in the project and others in the Palestinian areas, the planned city's main street is shaped like the capital letter Q.

Read more: A New Community Rises In The West Bank ... And It's Not Israeli : Parallels : NPR

Global Oil Production: Double Dip seems to have started as prices drop

Oil Exploration

OILPrice Intelligence reports that the double dip looks to be on. After nearly two months of moderate price gains for crude oil, by mid-March oil is swooning once again. Brent is showing a bit of resilience, but the WTI benchmark – which is the major marker for North American crude – dropped to its lowest level in six years. Producers may have thought they were nearly out of the woods, but stubborn levels of production from U.S. shale fields have prevented a rally. Even worse (for drillers) is the fact that oil storage tanks are starting to fill up. Storage at Cushing, Oklahoma is two-thirds full, and hedge funds and major investors are selling off oil contracts, betting that prices are heading south.

While the oil storage story is real – average storage levels nationwide (USA) are up to 60%, a big jump from the 48% seen a year ago – it may have been played up too much in the media. Many refineries are taken offline in the spring for maintenance, which forces drillers to pump crude into storage for several weeks. Additionally, U.S. consumers are starting to use more gasoline because of low prices, and the extra demand may soak up some of the glut. Finally, production, stubborn as it is, may soon finally begin to dip. Fresh data from North Dakota shows that may already be happening. In other words, the weekly storage build may be unsustainably high.

Nevertheless, the selloff is underway. That is providing an interesting opportunity for the U.S. government, which is set to purchase 5 million barrels for the strategic petroleum reserve (SPR). In March 2014, the U.S. government sold off 5 million barrels ostensibly for a “test sale,” but was no doubt at least in part motivated by the fact that oil prices surpassed $100 per barrel. However, by law, the U.S. Department of Energy is required to replenish that sale within 12 months. With the deadline approaching, the DOE has announced plans to buy up 5 million barrels to put back into the SPR. The U.S. taxpayer is about to benefit from extraordinary timing. With prices now half of what they were 12 months ago, the government will be able to bring the SPR back to up to its proper level at half the price.

Low oil prices are good for the government, but not so good for the oil majors. Italian oil giant Eni (NYSE: ENI) became the first of the oil multinationals to slash its dividend due to low prices and also moved to suspend its share buy-back plan. Eni announced plans to pay 0.8 euros per share rather than the 1.12 euros it paid out in 2014. The move was not taken well by investors – the company’s stock tanked by nearly 5% on the announcement. Still, CEO Claudio Descalzi put on a brave face, claiming that he was “building a more robust Eni capable of facing a period of lower oil prices.” The dividend has long been prioritized by the oil majors, needing to be protected at all costs. Many of them have opted for dramatic cuts to capital spending rather than touch their dividend policies, even if that threatens future production rates. High dividends have made major oil companies highly attractive investment vehicles, allowing companies to obtain a lower cost of capital for drilling plans. Eni has bucked the trend, arguing that it will be more resilient as a result of the dividend cut. Descalzi insists the company will “be strong” if prices remain at $60 per barrel or above. It remains to be seen how long oil prices stay depressed, and whether or not other oil majors can avoid coming to the same conclusion as Eni.

OPEC released its monthly oil market report on March 16, in which it argued that North American shale will face a contraction later this year. However, the oil cartel also saw some production declines for the month, as Libya, Iraq, and Nigeria continue to struggle with violence and low oil prices. Libya, in particular, is facing a crisis. Spain raised the prospect of a European Union embargo on Libyan oil if the country’s two political factions did not make headway on peace. Cutting off Libya’s only economic lifeline almost certainly would not bring a swift end to political impasse in Libya, but the EU is clearly becoming impatient with the ongoing violence just across the Mediterranean.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reemerged from a 10-day absence that fueled many-a-rumor – speculation ranged from a palace coup, to a secret birth of a child, even to some wondering whether the Russian President met an early demise. The Kremlin offered no explanation, but Putin appeared to be just fine. Despite his seemingly good health, the Russian economy continues to buckle under the weight of low oil prices. And that, according to Bloomberg, has Putin increasingly angry at a once close ally: Rosneft head Igor Sechin. Putin is reportedly blaming Sechin for rising debt at the state-owned oil firm, perhaps stemming from the purchase of TNK-BP in 2013. Also, Sechin’s role in borrowing billions of rubles that sent the currency plummeting in December 2014 has raised the ire of the Russian President. There are rumors that Sechin could be on his way out, but those reports are unconfirmed. Nevertheless, the fraying of the relationship suggests low oil prices are taking a toll on Putin’s inner circle.

EU-Digest 

Islam: Obama Is Right Not to Talk About ‘Islamic’ Terrorism - "or isn't he ?" - by John McWhorter

No one should have trouble understanding why a war on Islamic terrorists isn’t a war on Islam? Nonsense.

The Obama slam of the moment is that he should be calling our battle against ISIS one against Islamic terrorists, instead of pretending that the battle is against something as general as “terrorists” alone.

The people angry at Obama about this are forgetting how educated they are.

Here’s what I mean. The Obama administration wants to avoid people thinking our battle is against Islam in general. His critics, however, assume that it would be obvious to anybody that you can battle one strain of Islam without having it in for Muslims in general. That perspective is typical of an educated Westerner, who today is trained — to an almost religious degree — to strive to view people as individuals rather than to stereotype. Stereotyping is treated among us as, essentially, a transgression of human decency.

We’ve learned our lesson — to the point that we forget that it ever was a lesson. Surely anyone knows that battling a particular group of Islamic terrorists is to battle those individuals, not Islam as a whole, right? Wrong, actually.

Attributing group traits to individuals is a deeply seated psychological habit. When a person is unfamiliar, we are less likely to process them as an individual than we are to seek to classify them into some higher category. Implicit Association tests, most famous these days as revealing that black people are more readily associated with negative words than positive ones, are ample testament to this.

 Stereotyping is almost certainly programmed in our genes. Once it may have been a useful defense mechanism, but today it is disadvantageous as often as it is useful.

Read more: USA Obama Is Right Not to Talk About ‘Islamic’ Terrorism | TIME

Israel: On eve of election, Herzog vows: I will be Israel's next prime minster - by Moran Azulay

"I promise: I will be a prime minister to everyone. For right and left, for settlers, Haredim, Druze, Arabs, Circassians. I will be prime minister for the center and for the periphery, for students and senior citizens," Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog said Monday, on the eve of the elections to Israel's 20th Knesset. 

His promise came as election candidates made their final appeals to voters on Monday, the eve of an election that will determine whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can secure another term in office. The latest polls have shown Netanyahu's Likud party trailing the centrist Zionist Union by about four seats.  

Herzog focused on centrist voters, taking direct aim at Yesh Atid voters. Netanyahu for his part focused on shoring up rightwing voters, whose shifting support for parties like the Bayit Yehudi have bled the Likud in the polls.

"After a long period of division, I will unite Israel. For that goal I need your voice. The power to lead a change is in your hands. A change we have long hoped for. Tomorrow we can do it – together."

On the final day of campaigning Monday, Netanyahu visited Har Homa, a Jewish development in east Jerusalem that is viewed as an illegal settlement by the Palestinians and the international community.

Read more: On eve of election, Herzog vows: I will be Israel's next prime minster - Israel News, Ynetnews

Greece's rock-star finance minister denies 'sticking the finger' to Germany - by Mehreen Khan

Greece's outspoken finance minister has attracted criticism after he claimed a video of him "sticking the finger" at Germany had been doctored.

Appearing on German TV on Sunday, Yanis Varoufakis denied that footage showing him raise his middle finger at Berlin was genuine.

In the video, which was shot in Zagreb in 2013, Mr Varoufakis is heard saying: "Greece should announce it is defaulting within the euro and stick the finger to Germany and say, well you can solve this problem yourself."

Click here to see Video: Greece's rock-star finance minister denies 'sticking the finger' to Germany - Telegraph

Greece: International Monetary Fund comes calling as Greece faces up to week of debt payments

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called for calm as the country faces up a week of debt payments. . “There is no danger to wages and pensions and no threat to bank deposits,” he said on Monday.

The week began with a repayment to the International Monetary Fund of around 560 million euros so depleting further the country’s cash reserves.

In a few days time Athens must dig deep again shelling out another 350 million to the IMF and then it has to refinance 1.6 billion euros of short-term notes. It plans to auction one billion euros of treasury bills on March 18.

Euronews correspondent in Athens, Symela Touchtidou said: “So Greece has already repaid the International Monetary Fund more than a billion with reassurances it will fulfill all its international obligations. Still state funds are drying up as the latest data from the Bank of Greece shows and many people are worrying about their next salary or pension payment.”

The data shows results from the primary budget, which excludes debt service payments for the first two months of the year has dropped from 1,681 million euros to just 503 million.
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“A vicious cycle has started. Many taxpayers have gone into a sort of suspension of payments so public income has dropped heavily. At the same time foreign investors are not coming to bill auctions and Greek banks are forced to cover most of that,” explained Dimitris Rapidis, economist from the think tank Bridging Europe

Athens cash crunch has raised fears that emergency funding facilities may be used to tide over the government with one official on Monday saying the European Central Bank is partly to blame for the crisis.

Read more: International Monetary Fund comes calling as Greece faces up to week of debt payments | euronews, economy

European Banking Industry: Banco Madrid files for bankruptcy

Spanish bank, Banco Madrid has filed for bankruptcy. The move comes after the US Treasury accused the bank’s Andorran parent of laundering money for organized crime groups.

Customers of Banco Madrid, which caters for wealthy clients rushed to empty their accounts after the US allegations.

The cash withdrawals prompted Banco Madrid to halt business and seek protection from its creditors, the Bank of Spain said on Monday.

Banco Madrid had 15,000 clients with assets under management of about 6 billion euros before the authorities took over its parent bank and suspended its chief executive and board of directors.

Read more: Banco Madrid files for bankruptcy | euronews, economy

EU plans new team to tackle cyber-terrorism - by Kevin Rawlinson

Plans for a new Europe-wide counter-terrorism unit are being presented to European ministers.

The Internet Referral Unit would be part of law enforcement agency Europol and would seek to remove jihadist content from the internet.

EU policy makers want to pool member states' resources to deal with the "sheer volume" of such material.

The Paris terror attacks had pushed the item up the EU's agenda, said a senior official.

"The internet is a major facilitator for radicalisation to terrorism. Addressing this matter poses a number of different challenges," a briefing document detailing the plans says.

It adds: "The sheer volume of internet content promotin terrorism and extremism requires pooling of resources and a close cooperation with the industry."

Read more: BBC News - EU plans new team to tackle cyber-terrorism

Weapons Industry - the root of all evil: Global arms exports on rise: SIPRI

Overall, the volume of international weapons transfers between 2005-2009 and 2010-2014 went up by 16 percent, according to an annual update of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, published on Monday.

The reports claims that US exports of major weapons increased by 23 percent between the periods of 2005-2009 and 2010-2014. The share of exports from the US was 31 percent in 2010-2014, SIPRI said, compared with 27 percent for the next largest exporter, Russia. Exports of major weapons from the Kremlin increased by 37 percent during the same period.

The findings were confirmed by Amnesty International. "As the main arms supplier to Egypt, the US authorized the sale of small arms, millions of rounds of ammunition and chemical agents for riot control, despite the security forces' violent crackdown on protesters," a spokesperson for the international human rights organization told DW in a statement.

"The US has long seen arms exports as a major foreign policy and security tool, but in recent years exports are increasingly needed to help the US arms industry maintain production levels at a time of decreasing US military expenditure," said Aude Fleurant, director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Program.

The US and Russia, though the world's largest exporters by volume, were surpassed by China with regard to weapons export growth. According to SIPRI, Chinese exports of major arms increased by 143 percent, making it the third largest supplier in 2010-2014.

Read more: Global arms exports on rise: SIPRI | World | DW.DE | 16.03.2015

European Data Protection: EU Ministers upset businesses with new data protection rules

The European Union's interior and justice ministers agreed on Friday to grant more powers to regulators to enforce a new data protection law, upsetting businesses who hoped the power would instead be devolved to the regulators in each individual country.

Initially, the new EU law would have established a "one-stop-shop" mechanism, meaning that a business operating across the whole 28-nation bloc would only have to deal with one protection authority - in the country where it has its headquarters or European base, even if the issue affected citizens in another EU country.

However, this upset some countries which do not what their national authorities to lose all jurisdiction over big technology companies like Apple and Facebook, which are based in Ireland. In the past, Ireland has been accused of going soft on large multinationals in order to remain an attractive place for doing business, something Dublin has denied.

Under pressure from the concern nations, the EU ministers agreed that henceforth if one country's authority is "concerned," they can appeal any ruling to an as-yet-uncreated board of all 28 regulators who could then come to a binding decision.

Read more: EU Ministers upset businesses with new data protection rules | News | DW.DE | 13.03.2015

Greek Drama: Après nous, le déluge. "Italy, Spain to follow if Greece exits eurozone", says Greek defense minister

How to glue this old Vase again?

Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos has said his country's exit from the eurozone could be followed by Italy, Spain and even Germany. Kammenos' interview comes amid lack of progress in Greece's bailout plan.

"If Greece explodes, Spain and Italy will be next and then at some point, Germany. We therefore need to find a way within the eurozone, but this way cannot be that the Greeks keep on having to pay," Kammenos told Bild.

Instead of a bailout, Greece needed a debt "haircut" like the one Germany's creditors had to accept in 1953, Kammenos proposed. He also argued that Berlin should pay World War II reparations to Athens. "All European countries have been compensated for crimes committed by Nazis, except for Greece," Kammenos said, referring to the gold Nazi soldiers brought back from Athens during the war.

The defense minister also accused Germany of "interfering" in its domestic affairs. His criticism was aimed at German Finance Minister Schäuble, who earlier warned of a "Grexident" which could push Athens out of the euro.

"I don't understand why he turns against Greece every day in new statements. It's like a psychological war and Schäuble is poisoning the relationship between the two countries through that," he said.

Note EU-Digest: Instead of blaming everyone else Greek officials should realize and admit that the reason they are in trouble is because of their own mismanagement of the country:They lied about their financial figures in order to join the euro-zone, they have out of control corruption, their civil servants are over payed and receive more perks than those in any other EU nation, the Greek tax system does not work and some of the richest people in Greece never pay any taxes, and last but not least, work ethic certainly is not one of the greatest assets of the Greek labor force. .

Read more: Italy, Spain to follow if Greece exits eurozone, says Greek defense minister | News | DW.DE | 14.03.2015

EU Terrorist Faux-Muslims Gangsters Threat: SIS' White Whale Is Spain - by Itxu Díaz

It’s hardly surprising that the faux-Muslims of the so-called Islamic State see Spain as a primary target.

The country’s full of delicious Serrano hams, superb wine, and pretty women—a little like paradise on Earth for these strange jihadists of the 21st century.

Certainly those recently detained in the Spanish city of Ceuta on the north coast of Africa, who are accused by police of preparing attacks in Spain and the rest of Europe, know the temptations of Spanish life. Yet they convinced the cops and perhaps themselves they were disposed to die.

“They were even ready to sacrifice themselves,” declared the minister of interior when the first group of four was arrested in January. And they just keep coming, it would seem. Two more suspects were picked up on Tuesday.

Of the four initially detained, three are being held in police custody while one, Redouan Ali Amzal, who was dedicated to tracking terrorist targets, has been released on account of “mental disability.” (Guess that means the others are sane.)

Mohamed al Lal is one of those detained in Ceuta. In the Firenze ice cream shop where he worked, nobody could believe that this kid who was smiling all the time was a “terrorist threat.” But his case is like one of those murderers the police discover with a mountain of chopped-up cadavers in their houses, while the neighbors tell the television camera that he was a very normal kid, very likeable, who always said hello in the elevator, and who loved his cat. But with this difference: According to the police, Mohamed al Lal is not just any potential murderer, he’s an Islamist. That is to say, he is one of those intransigent radicals who want to impose the sharia, strict Islamic law, and kill all the infidels.

But there’s a disconnect. How do we square his presumed belief with photographs in which he appears surrounded by bottles of booze, flirting online with scantily clad girls, and with a worldly passion for luxury, travel, and the good life?

Read more: ISIS' White Whale Is Spain - The Daily Beast

Energy Supplies: Germany: The creeping death of Germany′s energy giants

Germany's energy giants are lumbering behind the rapid advance of renewable energy. They might stay afloat for a while, but they don't seem flexible enough to achieve a turnaround, says DW's Henrik Böhme. 

"Darling, have you switched on the fuel cell yet?" In 10 or 20 years from now, that may be a common question in German households. Many people will be producing the energy they need for heating and electricity themselves, be it via solar panels on their rooftops or fuel cells in their basements.

Decentralization is the buzzword. And the power required elsewhere, say, for street lights, electric motors, or the bakery nearby will be largely generated through renewables. Even large industrial compounds will be in a position to generate enough electricity for their own needs.

Nuclear power stations will all have been switched off by then, with only a few coal-fired or gas-fired plants still in operation. One way or another, Germany's power landscape is bound to undergo dramatic changes.

That's been obvious for a couple of years now. But the German utilities' age-old business models don't seem to be working anymore. All they know is big and heavy - they're used to nuclear and coal power stations guaranteeing billions in profit, year-in year-out, and they seemed to secure their earnings without any trouble. And then they grew fat and began making mistakes.

Read more: Opinion: The creeping death of Germany′s energy giants | Opinion | DW.DE | 11.03.2015

Climate Change Information Distorted: US Koch Industries refuses to comply with US senators' climate investigation - by Alan Yuhas

The Koch brothers’ conglomerate Koch Industries has refused to comply with an investigation by three Senate Democrats into whether the company has funded groups or researchers who deny or cast doubt on climate change.

In response to a request from senators Barbara Boxer, Edward Markey and Sheldon Whitehouse for information about Koch Industries’ support for scientific research, Koch general counsel Mark Holden invoked the company’s first amendment rights.]

“The activity efforts about which you inquire, and Koch’s involvement, if any, in them, are at the core of the fundamental liberties protected by the first amendment to the United States constitution,” Holden wrote the senators in a letter dated 5 March and posted online by Koch Industries recently.

“I did not see any explanation or justification for an official Senate committee inquiry into activities protected by the first amendment,” he wrote, concluding, “we decline to participate in this endeavor and object to your apparent efforts to infringe upon and potentially stifle fundamental first amendment activities.”

Asked by the Guardian to elaborate on how the first amendment protects such funding and whether Koch Industries would pursue legal action to prevent disclosing information, Holden said: “Our letter speaks for itself.”

In his letter to the senators, Holden suggested that such funding represents part of “Koch’s right to participate in the debate of important public policy issues and its right of free association.”

On 25 February, the three Democratic senators – each a ranking member of committees that oversee environmental affairs – sent letters to 100 fossil fuel companies and thinktanks “to determine whether they are funding scientific studies designed to confuse the public and avoid taking action to cut carbon pollution, and whether the funded scientists fail to disclose the sources of their funding in scientific publications or in testimony to legislators.”

“Corporate special interests shouldn’t be able to secretly peddle the best junk science money can buy,” Markey said at the time. The senators asked for 10 years’ worth of information, including lists of affiliated foundations, funding recipients and copies of grants and contracts.

Exxon Mobil, BP and Shell are among the other companies sent letters by the senators. The libertarian Koch-founded Cato Institute and conservative Heritage Foundation were also sent letters.

The senators’ investigation was prompted by documents obtained through a freedom of information request by Greenpeace, the environmental group. The documents revealed a prominent Harvard-Smithsonian Center scientist had accepted more than $1.2m from the fossil-fuel industry. The scientist, Wei-Hock Soon, has espoused on television and before Congress alternate theories of climate change, including a discredited theory that the sun’s energy explain global warming.

Read more: Koch Industries refuses to comply with US senators' climate investigation | US news | The Guardian

Water Supplies California: Only 1 year of water left in California, NASA scientist suggests rationing - Lucy Nicholson

NASA’s top water scientist says California only has about one year’s worth of water left in storage, and its groundwater – often used as a backup for reservoirs and other reserves – is rapidly depleting. He suggests immediately rationing water.

California just had the driest January since record-keeping began in 1895, with groundwater and snowpack levels at all-time lows, NASA scientist Jay Familglietti wrote in a column for the Los Angeles Times. He said the state has been running out of water since before the current years-long drought and storage levels have been falling since at least 2002, according to NASA satellite data.

“California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain,” said Familglietti. “In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.”


Read more: Only 1 year of water left in California, NASA scientist suggests rationing — RT USA

Cuba: EU’s foreign policy chief to visit Cuba as ties with West warm

The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, is to visit Cuba this month in the latest sign of warming relations between the Communist-ruled island and the West. 

Mogherini, a former Italian foreign minister, will visit Havana on March 23 to 24 to discuss developments in the country and prospects for EU-Cuba cooperation, the EU said in a statement on Saturday. 

She will be the most senior EU official to visit Cuba in recent years, and the trip comes as both the 28-nation EU and the United States have made diplomatic overtures to the island.

“Cuba is facing a very interesting period and the European Union is keen to see how we can take the relationship forward with strong momentum,” Mogherini said in a statement.

Read more: Americas - EU’s foreign policy chief to visit Cuba as ties with West warm - France 24

Iran - USA: Politics: Republicans Go Ballistic Over Plan to Take The Iran Nuke Deal to the U.N.

The latest move in the nuclear negotiations with Iran could be to take them to the United Nations. And that will trigger a Republican hatefest for the ages.

The Obama administration hinted Thursday that it may take elements of an Iranian nuclear deal to the United Nations—while bypassing Congress for now. And that possibility has turned an already ugly political fight over the negotiations even nastier.

In one scenario floated this week, the White House would not immediately put aspects of an Iran deal up for a vote in Congress. Instead, the Obama administration would take aspects of the agreement to the United Nations Security Council—making the U.N. the target of a congressional hatefest.

“The United Nations has no authority whatsoever to bind the United States of America,” Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told The Daily Beast, arguing that only treaties and congressionally-passed laws could do that. “If President Obama attempts to end-run the Constitution by enlisting the United Nations to enforce an Iran deal that sets the stage for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, it would be both profoundly dangerous to the national security of the United States and our allies, and also patently unconstitutional.”

Read more: GOP Goes Ballistic Over Plan to Take The Iran Nuke Deal to the U.N. - The Daily Beast

Israel: Elections : Livni and Herzog merge in Zionist Union to oust Netanyahu | euronews, world news

Running mates former justice minister Tzipi Livni and Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog are not an obvious electoral alliance teaming up against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to see who will govern Israel.

She quit the traditional Likud party of the right to join the Kadima centrists before she formed the liberal Hatnuah party. He’s a socialist. Together, they head the centre-left Zionist Union, with a mantra ‘to defend a Jewish and democratic state’.

Livni packs significant political weight in the contest, Herzog less. The prime minister’s experience puts Herzog in the shade, many say the same goes for charisma.

Herzog says: “We need to join forces, we need to unite, we need to work together to win; it’s either us or him.”

Determination wins points with the anyone-but-Netanyahu voters. Herzog is 54, a lawyer elected to the Knesset in 2003 after serving as government secretary in Ehud Barak’s cabinet. After that he was construction minister in Ariel Sharon’s government, then handled tourism under Ehud Olmert and Netanyahu. When Labour quit that coalition, so did Herzog.

In 2013, the son of a former Israeli president and grandson of a one-time chief rabbi was elected to chair his party. But its reputation has been suffering so much that he opted not to run under its banner alone now but to team up with Hatnuah, meaning The Movement (established in late 2012).

Read more: Livni and Herzog merge in Zionist Union to oust Netanyahu | euronews, world news

European Banking Industry - French prosecutor seeks trial in HSBC tax-dodging case - France 24

The French financial prosecutor's office has requested that HSBC's Swiss private bank be sent to trial in France to answer charges over a suspected tax-dodging scheme for wealthy customers, a judicial source said on Friday.

The request brings the Swiss unit one step closer to facing trial after an investigation led by local magistrates into an alleged fraud involving thousands of French tax payers ended last month.

The probe was sparked by whistleblower Herve Falciani, a former IT employee at HSBC, who leaked the bank’s client data to the media, including French daily Le Monde.

Parent company HSBC Holdings Plc, the world’s second largest bank, faces a separate ongoing French investigation.

Prosecutors want the Swiss bank tried on suspicion of money laundering related to tax fraud and unlawful soliciting of clients, the source said, adding that the “habitual” manner of the alleged fraud made it an aggravated crime.

Read more: Business - French prosecutor seeks trial in HSBC tax-dodging case - France 24

Greece: Phone Poll by RT Indicates Most Germans are now in favor of Grexit

The Greek government was forced to backtrack after Berlin demanded an official explanation, saying the minister was “not expressing official government policy.”

The phone survey showed that only 11 percent of Germans believe that Syriza is conducting its negotiations with the rest of Europe in a trustworthy fashion.

he increasingly resentful national mood in Germany has been fueled by the Bild tabloid, which has been running a campaign with the slogan “NEIN” (“No”) – or rather, “No more concessions for the Greeks.” With a daily circulation of 2.6 million copies, Europe’s best-selling daily newspaper is influential not just with the masses, but also with the country’s ruling coalition.

Read more: Most Germans are now in favor of Grexit – survey — RT News

Middle East - Iran’s Supreme Leader Needs Obama’s Deal - by Djavad Khadem

Ali Khamenei needs a nuclear deal with the U.S. to preserve the power of the Supreme Leader after he passes. 

As U.S. and Iranian representatives fiercely negotiate a grand nuclear deal, I am reminded of Churchill's famous saying: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else.”

Secretary of State John Kerry talks about leaving the negotiation table if Iran does not accept the 5+1 while Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, says through various mouthpieces that it is America that needs these talks. Kerry wants a sequential deal, first political then technical, but Khamenei asks for a simultaneous one.

While Kerry and Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, walk the walk in Geneva, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani talks the talk, applauding progresses made abroad along with yet to be verified domestic economic achievements.  It is déjà vu as he attempts to cool down mounting popular frustrations at home.

Israelis and Saudis can tear themselves apart reminding their American ally of the long-term threats to stability should the Shia revolutionary regime obtain U.S. and international recognition for its nuclear threshold capabilities. The world can speculate on the next move to be made on the Iranian exchequer.

The House of Khamenei, that focal point of real power in Iran known to all Iranians as The Beyt, can push its pawns ever farther into every single conflict in the region. America seems to be ready to make yet another wrong decision before she eventually decides on the right one.

Read more: Iran’s Supreme Leader Needs Obama’s Deal - The Daily Beast

USA: Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States

The Untold History of the United States is a 2012 documentary series directed, produced, and narrated by Oliver Stone. This, the final, episode in the series recounts the final phase in the U.S.’s metamorphosis from a republic into an empire. It also outlines the financial, business and geopolitical interests underlying the War on Terror as well as the terrible repercussions that war has had — not just on the populations of “enemy” states abroad, but on the freedoms and rights of U.S. citizens and the application of human rights law worldwide. 

The report is alarming if we put it into the context of the next US Presidential elections and the possibility that the US could be ruled by similar people as those described in this video.

See the video at: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article41209.htm

Venezuela: Euro MPs call on Venezuela to release detainees

The European Parliament called Venezuela Thursday to release students and opposition figures "arbitrarily detained" during protests against left-wing President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro has launched a crackdown on the opposition, saying they are doing Washington's work in trying to oust him and other left-wing leaders in Latin America.

Earlier this week, the United States imposed sanctions against Venezuela as Maduro moved closer to rule by decree.

In a resolution passed by 384 votes to 75, the European Parliament called on the government of the oil-rich South American nation to release all those detained and to end its opposition crackdown.

Read more: Euro MPs call on Venezuela to release detainees | News , World | THE DAILY STAR

Personal Privacy Laws: Britain: Mass spying on UK citizens ‘essential,’ say MPs in landmark report

A British Parliamentary report examining the mass collection of private communications by UK security agencies has defended the practice as “essential.”

The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) report, published on Thursday, said only a “tiny” proportion of data collected was ever seen by human eyes.
 
Intelligence agencies “do not seek to circumvent the law” and must seek the “specific authorization” of a cabinet minister before spying on individuals in the UK, the ISC said.

However, the committee also said the current legal framework surrounding surveillance “lacks transparency” and is “unnecessarily complicated.”

The ISC called for a single law to be introduced to regulate UK security services and their bulk collection of private communications.

Read more: Mass spying on UK citizens ‘essential,’ say MPs in landmark report — RT UK

Middle East Terrorism: German army training Peshmerga fighters to fight ′IS′

Kurdish Peshmerga are being trained in Germany, honing their weapons and tactical skills. The battle against Islamic State militants in Iraq is a matter of life and death. Wolfgang Dick reports from Hammelburg.

Mines have become the greatest challenge in the bloody conflict against "Islamic State" (IS) militants. Improvised explosive devices (IEDs), typically used as roadside bombs, are radio controlled bombs with enough explosive power to turn even tanks into rubble.

Meanwhile, in the grasslands of the Bundeswehr's large army training center in the Bavarian town of Hammelburg, ten Peshmerga fighters and their German instructors carefully traverse mud tracks.

The Peshmerga group is supposed to learn how to "see" things. Their objective is to find hidden explosives, which are, of course, inert for military training. Radio bomb antennas are often hidden in blades of grass or bushes. Stones piled up in an inconspicuous manner mark targets for passing vehicles to be blown up. Everything seems to be inconspicuous here.

Read more: German army training Peshmerga fighters to fight ′IS′ | Germany | DW.DE | 12.03.2015

EURO - France’s Hollande upbeat as euro nears parity with dollar

French President Francois Hollande says the euro has reached a good level against the US dollar as the two currencies edge closer to parity.

"There will be a favourable effect on activity with a euro that is now at a good equilibrium," Hollande told reporters on Thursday, noting that when the euro was created it was also near parity with the dollar.

Earlier in the day, the single European currency briefly fell below $1.05 in Asian trading, its first such drop in 12 years, and analysts believe it could soon ease further.

The euro, which neared $1.40 last May, has been sliding as the European Central Bank (ECB) embarked on a 1.14 trillion euro stimulus programme designed to boost flagging growth across the 18-member bloc.

Read more: Business - France’s Hollande upbeat as euro nears parity with dollar - France 24

Making NATO defunct: Is EU Army intended to reduce US influence in Europe?

An EU Defense Force? Why not.

An EU military force is being justified as protection from Russia, but it may also be a way of reducing US influence as the EU and Germany come to loggerheads with the US and NATO over Ukraine.

While speaking to the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the time has come for the creation of a unified EU military force. Juncker used rhetoric about “defending the values of the European Union” and nuanced anti-Russian polemics to promote the creation of European army, which would convey a message to Moscow.
 
The polemics and arguments for an EU Army may be based around Russia, but the idea is really directed against the US. The underlying story here is the tensions that are developing between the US, on one side, and the EU and Germany, on the other side. This is why Germany reacted enthusiastically to the proposal, putting its support behind a joint EU armed force.

Previously, the EU military force was seriously mulled over was during the buildup to the illegal Anglo-American invasion of Iraq in 2003 when Germany, France, Belgium, and Luxembourg met to discuss it as an alternative to US-dominated NATO. The idea has been resurrected again under similar circumstances.

In 2003, the friction was over the US-led invasion of Iraq. In 2015, it is because of the mounting friction between Germany and the US over the crisis in Ukraine.

Franco-German differences with the US began to emerge after Tony Blinken, US President Barak Obama’s former Deputy National Security Advisor and current Deputy Secretary of State and the number two diplomat at the US Department of State, announced that the Pentagon was going to send arms into Ukraine at a hearing of the US Congress about his nomination, that was held on November 19, 2014.

As the Fiscal Times put it, “Washington treated Russia and the Europeans to a one-two punch when it revealed its thinking about arming Ukraine.”

Realizing that things could escalate out of control, the French and German response was to initiate a peace offence through diplomatic talks that would eventually lead to a new ceasefire agreement in Minsk, Belarus under the “Normandy Format” consisting of the representatives of France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine.

Pessimists may argue that France and Germany opted for diplomacy in February 2015, because the rebels in East Ukraine or Novorossiya, as they call it, were beating Kiev’s forces. In other words, the primary motivation of diplomacy was to save the government in Kiev from collapsing without a fair settlement in the East. This may be true to an extent, but the Franco-German pair also does not want to see Europe turned into an inferno that reduces everyone in it to ashes.

Note EU-Digest: NATO was a good thing after the second world war but seems outdated today and dragging Europeans into US military adventures outside Europe. A EU conscript military would probably also be helpful in the unification process of Europe. As long as they call it a defense force meant soly to defend the territory of the the EU I would be for it.

Read more: Making NATO defunct: Is EU Army intended to reduce US influence in Europe? — RT Op-Edge

MIDDLE EAST: Israel - Special edition: New stakes in Israel's general election

Our correspondents tell us how Arab-Israeli parties have come together for the first time, forming a new power bloc.

Ultra-orthodox women also try to change the perceived place of women in politics and run for office.
Finally, we take a look at how affordable housing has become a leading campaign issue.

For the complete report read more at: MIDDLE EAST MATTERS - Special edition: New stakes in Israel's general election - France 24

Middle East - IRAQ: Battle for Tikrit: Iraqi forces ‘advancing on city centre’

Iraqi and Shi’ite militia men have entered parts of the city of Tikrit in a key test for Iraqi forces in their battle against ISIL militants.

It is as yet unconfirmed how much of what was Saddam Hussein’s home city has been retaken but Iraqi forces claim to be clearing the neighbourhoods close to the centre.

Tikrit lies on the road connecting Baghdad to Mosul.Retaking it from ISIL will give Iraqi forces a major supply link to retake their second city

Thirty thousand government soldiers and Shia militias launched their offensive on Tikrit ten days ago.
ISIL militants took control of the district last summer when they seized large swathes of territory in Iraq’s north and west.

Progress has been slow but when Iraqi forces re took the town of al-Alam on Tikrit’s northern edge residents celebrated their arrival.

Read more: Battle for Tikrit: Iraqi forces ‘advancing on city centre’ | euronews, world news