US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he travels to Russia next week, the US State Department said in a statement.

The visit comes as relations between Moscow and Washington are at a new low over accusations of Russian meddling in US elections, disagreements over approaches to Venezuela and Iran’s nuclear program, as well as the US ditching the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty followed up by Russia suspending its participation.

On May 13, the Secretary of State will visit the US embassy upon his arrival to Moscow as well as meet with the US business leaders and exchange program alumni to hear their thoughts on the issue of US-Russian relations. The State Department also said he will discuss “the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges” with Lavrov and Putin during a meeting in the southern city of Sochi on May 14.

Pompeo met Lavrov in Finland earlier this week at the Arctic summit.

“An issue high on the agenda for their discussions will be arms control,” the State Department said, adding that the US President Donald Trump would like to work out new arms control agreements that would “reflect modern reality” by including a “broader range of countries and account for a broader range of weapon systems than current [US] bilateral treaties with Russia.”

The US pulled out of the INF arms control treaty with Russia in February. Trump said last week that he and Putin discussed the possibility of making it a “three-way deal” with China, adding that Beijing “would very much like to be part of that deal.” Moscow repeatedly said it was ready for talks but it was the US who shied away from the negotiations.

Even though it was Washington that was the first to pull out from the INF, the State Department statement also bluntly said that “the Secretary will have a very candid conversation about concerns in our bilateral relationship, including Russia’s breach of longstanding arms control agreements like the INF.”

Washington also could not help but once again state that “no administration has been tougher than the Trump administration in imposing costs on Russia for its malign activities,” as the Russian meddling scandal has been omnipresent on the American political arena and one of the major tool used by the Democrats in their political fight against Trump.

At the same time, the US also said it would strive to “find ways to cooperate [with Moscow] in pursuit of shared interests.” Washington particularly hailed Russia’s role in the Afghan peace process and its cooperation with the US in the field of counterterrorism.

Earlier this week, Lavrov also said that cooperation between the US and Russia could have “a very significant and positive role” in resolving most international issues. The Russian minister also noted that it is important to build this joint work on finding common solutions while avoiding one-sided approaches, which are often lobbied by Washington.

Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran, Syria, and North Korea were also all listed as topics that are expected to be discussed during the negotiations in Sochi. Trump talked to Putin on the phone for an hour last Friday, discussing a wide range of issues, including Venezuela, North Korea and nuclear arms control.

Last week, Washington’s protégé and opposition leader Juan Guaido failed to get enough support to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The US blamed Russia partially for the coup’s collapse and urged Moscow to stay out Venezuela. Lavrov slammed Washington’s “unprecedented campaign to oust the legitimate government” and once again called for a political solution to the conflict.

This week Iran has announced a suspension to some of its obligations under the landmark agreement – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – after Washington piled up a series of sanctions on the country and sent an aircraft carrier group & task force to the region to send a message. Moscow said Tehran’s reaction was understandable, and urged Tehran and European countries to fulfill their obligations.

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The US Justice Department has taken possession of North Korea’s second-largest freighter, seized in Indonesia last year for allegedly shipping coal in violation of UN sanctions, ratcheting up tensions between the two countries.

The DoJ has asked a federal judge to transfer ownership of the 17,000-ton Wise Honest – North Korea’s second-largest bulk cargo ship – to the US through civil forfeiture, a controversial legal process that allows authorities to take possession of vehicles and other property involved in felonies like drug smuggling.

This process has never been used to seize a North Korean ship for sanctions violations, but because the DPRK used American banks to finance the ship’s upkeep, the US is entitled to take it, according to the complaint, which charges the vessel itself with crimes including money laundering.

Accusing the Korea Songi Shipping Company of “concealing the origin of their ship” to sell coal in violation of UN sanctions, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman alleged the Wise Honest was also used to “import heavy machinery to North Korea, helping expand North Korea’s capabilities and continuing the cycle of sanctions evasion.”

Korea Songi, reportedly a subsidiary of a company controlled by the North Korean military, is additionally charged with breaking American law by using three different US banks to pay for the ship’s upkeep to the tune of $750,000.

Indonesian authorities detained the ship en route to American Samoa after receiving a photograph that appeared to show the vessel being loaded with coal. The captain was charged with improper documentation, a violation of Indonesian maritime law, and convicted. The US seized the ship under warrant in July, but it is only now being towed to American Samoa, according to the Justice Department.

In recent days, North Korea has test-fired long-range multiple rocket launchers and what is believed to be short-range missiles. But Justice Department officials insist the decision to take possession of the Wise Honest is unrelated to the drills. The latest launches were conducted on Thursday. The South Korean president alleged that they came in response to stalled nuclear talks with Washington.

Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi, Vietnam in hopes of another breakthrough in denuclearization. The summit failed, however, with North Korea pinning the blame on Washington.

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Sporting the URL boycotteurovision.net Israel’s PR website masquerades as part of a campaign to boycott the Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv, but actually features pro-Israel narrative.

For most people who follow the issue, the acronym ‘BDS’ refers to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to financially pressure Israel into improving treatment of Palestinians. However, according to a new website promoted via ads on Google, it now stands for how Israel is “beautiful, diverse, sensational.”

Despite the deceptive URL and the fact that the page doesn’t identify itself as run by the Israeli government, Tel Aviv’s PR ministry confirmed to Reuters that they were behind the campaign.

Gilad Erdan (Minister of Strategic Affairs) said that the ads and website “show Israel as it really is, a diverse, beautiful and sensational place, while at the same time, successfully dispelling the lies BDS spreads.”

Meanwhile, with less than a week to go before the Eurovision takes place in Tel Aviv, the actual Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement has been ramping up its efforts to encourage people to snub the competition. They were none too pleased with the Israeli government’s latest counter-measure.

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“After its theft of Palestinian land and culture, Israel is now trying to appropriate a symbol of our nonviolent resistance,” said Alia Malak, of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).

Although the competition is intended to bring countries around the world together, the contest has been politicized a number of times.

Last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai, yelled out “Next time in Jerusalem!” after receiving the trophy for her spirited chicken-themed song ‘Toy’. The statement was seen as controversial given that not even the US had yet recognized Jerusalem as the country’s capital.

Although Israel has pulled out all the stops to assure the event will go smoothly, it comes shortly after cross-border shelling between Israel and Palestine in Gaza earlier this week. Four Israelis were killed and at least 10 injured as a result of rockets fired from Gaza, while the IDF carried out some 320 air-raids which killed 25 people and injured dozens.

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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has threatened Iran with a “swift and decisive” response to any attack on “US interests or citizens,” including those by “proxies” – leaving lots of leeway for the war he says the US doesn’t want.

“The regime in Tehran should understand that any attacks by them or their proxies of any identity against US interests or citizens will be answered with a swift and decisive US response,” Pompeo wrote in a statement warning that Iran should not mistake US “restraint” for a “lack of resolve,” and criticizing Iran for “an escalating series of threatening actions and statements in recent weeks.”

While Pompeo insists “we do not seek war,” the statement’s wording leaves ample room for it, from describing Iran’s expected offenses in vague terms (“proxies of any identity” attacking “US interests or citizens”) to suggesting the US will have a decisive role in “taking steps to give Iran the future it deserves.”

Pompeo claims Iran’s “default option” has been “violence,” echoing repeated US claims it is the “number one sponsor of terrorism” and the driver of hostilities in Yemen and Syria. When the US used this alleged belligerence as a pretext for pulling out of the JCPOA nuclear deal, despite Iranian compliance and agreement from the other partners the agreement had been a success, Iran’s reaction was to continue to uphold its end of the deal in deference to those partners. Iran has only just announced it will suspend some of its commitments under the deal because additional US sanctions have made its position untenable – and asked the EU to step up and defend it against those sanctions, which seem to be little more than punishment for following the rules.

Pompeo appeals “to those in Tehran who see a path to a prosperous future through de-escalation,” all while a US carrier strike group is headed for the region, reportedly acting on a tip from Israeli intelligence – a country that openly wants war with Iran.

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Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has previously warned US President Donald Trump that members of his administration, including Pompeo, are trying to steer him into a confrontation he does not want. Zarif also advised the US to stop blaming Iran for regional hostility toward American interests.

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Thousands marched on the abandoned village of Khubbayza to commemorate the 71st Nakba that forced Palestinians from their homes in the lead-up to the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948.

The ‘march of return’ took place at 1:30pm local time Thursday in northern Israel and a festival was held in Khubbayza itself afterwards. Thousands of Arab citizens of Israel, including a number of Arab politicians, attended the march, which was organized by the Association for the Defense of the Rights for the Internally Displaced Persons in Israel. Attendees waved Palestinian flags and chanted.

“For more than 25 years, we have been defending the right of return and consolidating it through the annual march, which is gaining increasing public momentum, reinforcing our belief in our Palestinian presence and confirming our rejection of all alternatives,” the Association for the Defense of the Rights of the Displaced said, Arab48 reports.

Khubbayza was raided by Jewish forces a few weeks after the 1948 war and was later razed by the Jewish Nation Fund. It remains unpopulated today and is surrounded by fields.

Palestinians and their supporters march for the right to return to the lands they lost amid the establishment of the state of Israel when at least 760,000 Palestinians became displaced, and the homes lost by those who were displaced in the 1967 war.

The anniversary of the Nakba is May 15, but a number of events are held on Israel’s Independence Days of May 8 and 9.

With sensitivity to perceived racism growing all the time, how important should intent be when society punishes someone for stepping over the line?

On Wednesday, BBC radio presenter and comedian Danny Baker posted a black-and-white retro photo meme that showed a chimp accompanied by two well-dressed chaperones, with the caption “Royal baby leaves the hospital.”

If we believe that this was a joke mocking the mixed-race origins of the newborn Archie, whose mother Meghan Markle is half black, then there is clear-cut cause for dismissal. Characterizing black people as simians has a long and inglorious history.

But what if we take the furious Baker at his word – that his “mind is not diseased” so he didn’t think of the “possible connotations” and deleted the tweet voluntarily as soon as he was alerted to them.

While he can occasionally be opinionated, Danny Baker is a Corbyn-supporting lifelong left-winger whose 40-year broadcasting career – thousands of hours of unscripted radio chat – had previously managed to skirt a single notable racism controversy. Talking of Occam’s Razor, Baker himself wrote how inconceivable it is that he would voluntarily bring this upon himself for the sake of being edgy.

Some would say that even genuine ignorance is no defense. That a man in the public eye should be more aware of the context and impact on others of what he posts online.

But Baker’s backstory provides its own context, which the many who demanded his sacking simply chose to ignore because it makes condemning him easier.

This is not to exonerate Baker, but simply to point out that punishing language is not the same as punishing murder: there is always a grey area where you are sentencing suspects for thoughtcrime, or perhaps even catching the innocent in the dragnet.

The scandal raises a related question: how tenuous does the link have to be between what is said or written and detectable racism?

For example, could someone really be unaware that Archie is ¼ black? Perhaps only the truly careless. But what if he has a son of his own with a white woman, who is 1/8 black? Can ignorance be forgiven then? What racial proportion does someone have to be before it is acceptable to post chimp memes about them?

Perhaps the easiest approach is to never make any potentially misinterpreted jokes at all – so no animal comparisons or other offensive material. It is one the BBC would approve of with their “zero tolerance” approach to Baker and their own impeccably “safe” content.

But if it had taken this approach, would the corporation have ever commissioned, say Fawlty Towers, with its portrayal of bumbling and easily confused Manuel the Spanish waiter, who is not even played by a Spaniard. Should it even be showing repeats of this sitcom?

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More currently, what about the next time a storm of unflattering epithets – much more aggressive and personal than ‘chimp’ – is unleashed by one of its presenters or guests at Donald Trump? They likely won’t be fired.

Does context enter back into it then? It’s OK to insult white people referring to the color of their skin, for example, but not black people. Maybe it’s OK to mock the powerful, but not the weak? Or is it the other way round, anyone is fair game, but not the royals? Or maybe Prince Philip is a joke, but Queen Elizabeth is not.

Everyone but the perfect moral guardians would agree that the rules can be unfair, and false positives can strike even the most politically correct.

Or should the offended party simply decide whether it finds something racist or sexist or transphobic, and then ensure that the culprit is disgraced? After all, people complained after Baker’s tweet, hence the reaction. But then aren’t we just giving more power to Twitter mobs and their own political biases?

All this would make Danny Baker, or anyone else, think twice about telling that joke, sharing that meme or sending that tweet. Should we celebrate or be afraid? Should we all live like the BBC?

By Igor Ogorodnev

Igor Ogorodnev is a Russian-British journalist, who has worked at RT since 2007 as a correspondent, editor and writer.

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he was “missing” UK Prime Minister Theresa May at the informal summit of EU countries in Romania, where they – except the UK – got together to show unity amid Brexit turmoil.

The EU bigwigs gathered in the Romanian city of Sibiu on Thursday ahead of the bloc’s parliamentary elections, scheduled for late May. While the meeting is largely informal and no major decisions are expected from it, its goal is clear – EU leaders are standing together. Or, at least, appear to be doing so.

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“We will talk about our strategic agenda for the future and will agree a declaration which will make clear that, regardless of our political differences, we all believe – all member of the European Union – that acting together is better,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of the gathering.

One of the major sources of instability within the bloc – the UK, entangled in its messy Brexit process – did not attend the event. While the EU leaders insisted that Brexit was not on the agenda, PM Theresa May has seemingly given them breathing room and stayed away.

Some, however, were still “missing” her despite all the painstaking – and rather fruitless – Brexit talks the EU and the UK have been engaging in over the past months. When asked by reporters if he wished May was at the event EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker – at least half-jokingly – admitted it.

“I’m missing her,” Juncker said, shrugging slightly.

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Moscow will see through joint projects with Tehran despite mounting pressure from Washington, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said, urging European countries to maintain ties with Iran and abide by the nuclear deal.

The recent decision of Tehran to suspend some of its obligations under the landmark agreement – officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – is “understandable,” given the US’ hostile actions against the country, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The move is perfectly legal, as the agreement allows the country walk away from some of its obligations if other signees do not stick to the deal.

At the same time Moscow, warned Tehran against making further steps towards scrapping the deal altogether, while urging “other participating countries” – basically, European ones – to fulfill their obligations.

On Wednesday, Iran reduced its obligations under the deal and vowed to take further steps on uranium enrichment in 60 days if the EU does not act to help its banking and oil sectors. The European Union, however, has already branded Tehran’s move as an “ultimatum” and promised to “assess Iran’s compliance” with the deal.

Russia itself is looking forward to continuing works on joint projects with Iran, including in the nuclear energy sphere, the ministry said. The projects include the ongoing construction of the nuclear power plant in Bushehr, as well as refurbishment of the Fordow uranium enrichment plant.

Moscow condemned the new batch of US sanctions against Iran, that targeted its metallurgy sector, urging “other countries” to maintain economic ties and trade with Tehran despite the pressure.

A similar statement was issued by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who called upon the EU to uphold its obligations instead of just pressing the country into compliance with the agreement.

“Instead of demanding that Iran unilaterally abide by a multilateral accord, the EU should uphold obligations – including normalization of economic ties,” Iran’s top diplomat tweeted.

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Iran’s foreign minister has issued a scathing response to the EU’s joint statement on the crumbling nuclear pact, saying the bloc has been bullied by the US “for a year” and needs to uphold its obligations under the deal.

Earlier Thursday, the EU and Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, and the UK issued a joint statement reaffirming their collective commitment to the Iran deal while also strongly hinting that US intrusion on Iran is unwelcome.

That statement came a day after Tehran announced it would suspend some of its commitments under the 2015 deal, a year after the US pulled out of the agreement. Other signatories to the deal have 60 days to negotiate with Iran over its concerns, including that the European members of the deal haven’t done enough to uphold their own end of the deal and protect Iran from US sanctions.

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US President Donald Trump responded to Wednesday’s announcement by introducing a raft of new sanctions on anyone who trades with Iran in iron, steel, copper, aluminum, and related products, escalating the economic blockade of Tehran.

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Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz scolded members of the EU, who are too eager to “cash in” on the bloc’s funds, while having large debts. To fix the union, it needs a new treaty altogether, Kurz believes.

The bold remarks were made by Austria’s chancellor right ahead of the EU leaders summit in Romania, where he is expected to table his proposals. In order to “reserve” the EU, the bloc needs a new fundamental agreement instead of the Lisbon Treaty, Kurz believes.

“Many, above all the younger heads of government, know that we must change the European Union if we want to reserve it,” Kurz told Austrian broadcaster ORF on Thursday. “Various heads of government among the liberals but also within the [conservative] European People’s Party have a similar view to me.”

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Kurz did not elaborate on who these like-minded politicians are exactly, while leaders of the EU countries seem to be quite silent about the prospects of any amendments to the bloc’s treaty. The changes, proposed by Austria’s chancellor include introduction of penalties for countries that have been taking in way too many migrants and have large – and growing – debts, while leeching from the bloc.

“We are talking here about countries that gladly take our money and are fully prepared to cash in,” Kurz stated.

While he did not name any country in particular, the jab appears to be aimed at the southern members of the EU, such as Greece and Italy, as well as Hungary, given earlier statements by Kurz. Austria has recently clashed with all the aforementioned countries over migrant handling, budget, and rule of law issues, respectively.

“We need a new treaty with clear sanctions against member states that increase debt, penalties for countries that do not register illegal migrants and wave them through, as well as tough consequences for violations of the rule of law and liberal democracy,” Kurz said earlier this month.

He has also called for shrinking the European Commission and ending what he called “the travelling circus of the EU Parliament.” Members of the Parliament convene for one week every month in Strasbourg, France and in Brussels for the other three weeks. The moving back and forth costs the union some €114 million ($127.54 million) a year. While Kurz called for closure of the Strasbourg headquarters, the proposal was firmly opposed to in Paris.

Given the cumbersome process of changing the EU treaty, that requires unanimous agreement of all the member states – and even referendums in some countries, it’s quite unlikely that Kurz’s proposals will flesh out anytime soon. In any case, that definitely won’t happen before the upcoming EU Parliament elections, scheduled to take place between May 23 and 26. The elections are expected to be a major success for Eurosceptic parties, opinion polls indicate, and pro-EU forces have already sounded alarms that it might “paralyze” the bloc altogether.

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