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By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Maxwell Book
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SDNY / UN GATE, Feb 26 –  When Russia announced it will recognize independence for the Donetsk and Luhansk "People’s Republics," eyes turned to the United Nations, full of corruption and ineptitude under Antonio Guterres.

 Guterres was nowhere to be seen, only recently back from the Genocide Games in Beijing. His spokesman Stephane Dujarric banned Inner City Press from his noon briefing, which he started late cutting off even others by WebEx. In the room, he took three questions in a row from China state media.

   After military action began literally during a Security Council meeting, a draft resoluation came out - Inner City Press has published it here and here -- sure to be vetoed, Inner City Press wrote on February 24.

On February 25 it happened. Not only the veto, but abstentions by China (population 1.4 billion and a genocide supported by Guterres), India also with population of 1.4 billion, and the president of the Security Council for March, the UAE.

  Afterward Guterres ran to the open mic and, shilling for money, said he has making his crony Amin Awad head of aid in Ukraine, see below.

  On Saturday, with the UN dead (First Avenue vlog here), it announced a renewed UN Security Council clown show for Sunday 3 pm, to send the whole circus of hot air and Guterres' corruption on Monday to the UN General Assembly, bought by Chinese state bribers Ng Lap Seng and CEFC China Energy / Ye Jianming under John Ashe and Sam Kutesa. And Abdulla Shahid? He and his spokesperson Paulina Kubiak won't answer Inner City Press' written questions about who pays the UNPGA staff.

And on February 26, Guterres through Stephane Dujarric bragged: "Due to the aggravating situation in Ukraine, the Secretary-General will remain in New York and not travel to Geneva as planned. He will send a video message to Monday’s meeting of the Human Rights Council."

But Friday Feb 25 Dujarric said, "The Secretary-General will be travelling over the weekend. He’ll be going to Geneva where, on Monday morning, he will deliver remarks at the opening of the 49th regular session of the Human Rights Council. We expect him back here on Monday afternoon." If he'd speak Monday, was the junket another one to visit his bank in Lisbon? Asked but not answered. See, song:

 Inner City Press, now banned by Guterres, exposed Awad siding with the extremist government of Sri Lanka:

The Staff Union alleges a pattern: "The recent action of Sri Lanka to detain two national staff appears to be a campaign against UN personnel, which is illegal under international law. Authorities have been arresting, without explanation, UN staff members, initially refusing to provide access to them by UN officials." Click here to view the Staff Union statement.

   Before issuing their statement, UN Staff Union officials expressed outrage at quotes by the UN's Country Representative in Sri Lanka, UNHCR's Amim Awad, that "the UN acknowledges without reservation the right of the security services of Sri Lanka to investigate any allegations of criminal wrongdoing, including by UN staff members, and will cooperate fully to support due process."

   The UN is advertising its obsolescence, like a badge of honor. It is time to move on.

UAE takes over UNSC Presidency March 1. Will they too exclude Inner City Press? Watch this site.

 The deep decay of the UN under Guterres came into focus, but its supporters looked away and made excuses. Stand-up here. First Ukraine song here

At the courts, which Inner City Press while banned from the UN by Guterres covers, Ukraine, fending off troops on its borders and separately an arbitral award to Tatneft, cited both in arguments before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn on February 17. Inner City Press live tweeted it (more on Patreon here), thread here:

now Ukraine v. PAO Tatneft, in which Ukraine is opposing discovery requests by citing troops on its border. SDNY judge says, I understand, but... Ukraine's lawyer Maria Kostytska: There is no justification for these 52 subpoenas from Tatneft. There are troops on Ukraine's border.

Judge: I understand that. But I am concerned with efficiencies in these two litigations. Ukraine wants a protective order entered - not (just) to protect it militarily, but hear to keep documents in the case secret, from the Press and public. Inner City Press may after research oppose this - this week we won some unsealing, here

Tatneft's lawyer: Ukraine wants to delay. We have subpoena-ed financial institutions. [From docket, involved: #BankOfAmerica,  #WellsFargo, #MorganStanley, #Santander, #CIBC, #CreditAgricole & #GoldmanSachs (which we're covering #EDNY: US v. Ng.

Ukraine: There are discovery proceedings in four Federal courts, in NY and DC. [So what's the 4th?] We are speaking on behalf of the highest levels of Ukraine's government. The Prime Minister is considering this. There is a mediation upcoming.

Ukraine's lawyer: We are not delaying. We are exercising our recourse against an award based on illegal share purchase using promissory notes. We have not waived this due to estoppel. We have not provided on appeal. So we seek certiorari

Tatneft's lawyer: The discovery could be avoided if Ukraine would secure the judgment. The arbitral award is what it is. We are entitled to pursue discovery without further delay. Judge: Maybe Ms. Kostytska tomorrow will have more info from her client [Ukraine]

 Judge: So this is how we're going to proceed -- Ukraine's lawyer: We want to add an additional suggestion, we want reconsideration under Local Rule 6.3, your clear error.

Digging into the docket, we find a declaration by Ukraine citing the US State Department on an "invasion force of 175,000."

   More on Patreon here.

This case is Ukraine v. PAO Tatneft, 21-mc-376 (Koeltl / Netburn)

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