IRAQ - This month alone, "the United States delivered nearly 100 Hellfire missiles together with hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition and M4 rifles" to the Iraqi government, the US Embassy to Iraq revealed Sunday. In a public statement, the US Embassy claimed the shipments were sent to aid the Iraqi government and military's so-called "counter-terrorism" operations targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Yet, experts have warned that the ongoing flow of US weapons into Iraq has only escalated political and sectarian violence in the country and region that was set in motion by the US-led invasion of Iraq.

SWITZERLAND - A Switzerland based company called Evolva has developed a synthetic vanilla that is set to be released in 2014. The vanilla is created using a process of genetic engineering called synthetic biology. Synthetic biology, according to a 2005 European Commission paper is “…the engineering of biology… the synthesis of complex, biologically based (or inspired) systems which display functions that do not exist in nature.” Unlike the older science of splicing genes from different species together, synthetic biology is seeking to create whole new organisms that do not exist on earth. Evolva’s synthetic vanilla is created by inserting computer coded DNA into yeast. This new method of genetic engineering is called “natural” by Evolva.

UKRAINE - The head of the Ukrainian nationalist movement Dmitry Yarosh has threatened to explode the gas pipeline through which the Russian gas is supplied to Europe, aiming to deprive it of its financing source, Voice of Russia reported on March 16. Yarosh voiced his threats as part of his "address to the Ukrainian government and his compatriots" in which he is accusing Moscow of having plans to seize Ukraine. The text of his address was cited by the UNN news agency. "We are well aware of the fact that Russia is earning money by transporting its oil and gas to the West through our pipe. Therefore, we'll destroy this pipe in order to deprive Russia of its financing source."

UK - This is the crucial clause 4 from the EU’s draft conclusions on Russia sanctions, courtesy of our Brussels Correspondent Bruno Waterfield:

USA - President Obama today issued a new Executive Order (EO) under the national emergency with respect to Ukraine that finds that the actions and policies of the Russian government with respect to Ukraine – including through the deployment of Russian military forces in the Crimea region of Ukraine - undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.

GERMANY - In light of the pending incorporation of the Crimea into the Russian Federation, German politicians and media are stepping up their Russophobe agitation. The public's "understanding for Moscow's alleged motives" regarding the Crimea, remains "strikingly high," complains a leading German daily. This reflects the view that Western global aggressions are either "not better or even worse."

USA - A new study sponsored by Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center has highlighted the prospect that global industrial civilisation could collapse in coming decades due to unsustainable resource exploitation and increasingly unequal wealth distribution.

UK - The world’s largest international banks are still too big to fail and resolving this issue remains the biggest problem for global regulators, according to the top Bank of England official in charge of financial stability. Sir Jon Cunliffe, Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, said that six years on from the financial crisis he remained worried at the ability of the authorities to successfully wind up a struggling major institution in the event of a new crisis. “We have made a lot of progress on too big to fail. But we are not there yet. I do not think we can say with confidence now that we could resolve a failing global giant,” said Sir Jon, who is responsible for the stability of the British financial system.

USA – The corporate media has literally spent over a week obsessing endlessly over conspiracy theories involving the alleged disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. These propaganda pushers have logged countless hours engaging in speculation and conjecture over what may or may not have happened with this airplane. Meanwhile, historically significant events are unfolding in Ukraine that could impact the world for years to come. The corporate media have intentionally chosen to provide little coverage of these developments in favor of discussing hours upon hours of Flight 370 conspiracy theories. It'd be one thing if they were providing real analysis but all of their coverage is designed for the purpose of distraction.

ISRAEL - Isaac Yeffet, who served as head of global security for Israel’s national carrier in the 1980s and now works as an aviation security consultant in New Jersey, said investigators were correct in honing in on the two fake-passport carrying Iranian passengers on the doomed flight, and they have wasted valuable time by exploring other leads.

“What happened to this aircraft, nobody knows. My guess is based upon the stolen passports, and I believe Iran was involved,” he said. “They hijacked the aircraft and they landed it in a place that nobody can see or find it.”

MALAYA - Malaysia has been forced to admit Flight 370 was, indeed, “diverted” from its flight path as the GRU had previously reported, and as at least 25 nations are now involved in searching for it, it remains a mystery as to what is actually occurring. Also known, this report concludes, is that Diego Garcia as a designated ETOPS emergency landing site for flight planning purposes of commercial airliners transversing the Indian Ocean, and as one of 33 emergency landing sites worldwide for the NASA Space Shuttle, it is “inconceivable” that any type of aircraft, let alone Flight 370, can fly anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere without being tracked, monitored and recorded in totality.

UK - A chilling theory suggests the missing Malaysian Airlines plane could have been hijacked using a mobile phone or USB stick. An anti-terror expert believes the speed, altitude and direction of the aircraft could have been changed, simply by sending radio signals from a small remote device. A framework of 'codes' created by cyber terrorists would also be able to get into the plane's in-flight entertainment system and override the security software. Police in Malaysia have searched the homes of pilots Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Abdul Hamid after officials confirmed the plane was taken over by a 'deliberate act'. It is also believed, once the systems have been successfully hacked, the plane could be landed by remote control.

BELGIUM - Modern science has given us another disturbing gift in the form of “selected breeding,” the process which turned a Belgian Blue bull into a hulking mass of muscle. But it’s not so much GMO as a story about GMO feed being used to nourish these animals; they are modifying the genetics externally to the point of mutation just to satisfy our consumer needs for “high quality” beef. So the question is: Where is the line? How much can we actually abuse these animals and still maintain our dignity and humanity? Well, the answer would seem to be that we have crossed the line by miles and miles already. We need to find a balance. Sure, the population needs food, but there are other ways than this!

USA - The magnitude 4.4 earthquake that struck near Westwood is the most significant shake in Southern California since a 5.5 earthquake hit Chino Hills in 2008, a US Geological Survey seismologist told reporters at a news conference Monday morning. Robert Graves said there have been at least six aftershocks since the 6:25 am earthquake. The largest so far has been a magnitude 2.7 earthquake that struck five miles northwest of Westwood. Graves said there is always the small possibility that the 4.4 earthquake was only a prelude to an equal or stronger shake.

ITALY - Italians in Venice and its surrounding region are voting this week on whether to break away from the rest of the country and form their own state. The online vote, organised by local independence parties, is not legally binding but aims to galvanise support for a bill calling for a referendum on whether the region of Veneto should split from Italy. The new Republic of Veneto would be inspired by the ancient Venetian republic - a rich economic, cultural and trading power which existed from the 7th century until its fall to Napoleon in 1797. The Indipendenza Veneta party behind the bill told AFP the separatist movement was fuelled by the government's apparent inability to stamp out corruption, protect its citizens from a damaging recession and plug waste in the poorer south. "We no longer want to be part of a country that has gone to the wall. Nothing works anymore," party coordinator Nicola Gardin said.