Is the United States a strong nation? There's a notion that it is, of course -- based mainly on the disruptive philosophical underpinnings upon which this country was established. But these are all really the fumes of nostalgia. What else is there? W... [...]

Some of Europe'€™s biggest companies like UK'€™s BP and Germany's BASF have told their governments economic sanctions against Russia would hurt them badly. The warning comes as Russia, the US, Ukraine and the EU are discussing the crisis in Geneva Thursday. [...]

The current international poverty line of $1.25 per day used by the World Bank is "too low"€ and "€œartificial,"€ say researchers from Bristol University, adding that the total number of poor people worldwide would increase by 30 percent in future. The World Bank’s “estimates are flawed” as the organization hasn’t used “different poverty measures” [...]

Vladimir Putin addressed a letter to the leaders of several European countries, to which Russian natural gas is supplied via Ukraine's territory. Ukraine’s economy in the past several months has been plummeting. Its industrial and construction sectors have also been declining sharply. Its budget deficit is mounting. [...]

Who would have thought a unitary superpower on Earth would accelerate a return to regionalism in place of globalization? For all those who deem ‘Financial Innovation’ to be an oxymoron, that brilliant invention the credit card springs to mind. [...]

The Albuquerque Police Department in the state of New Mexico is coming under fire following the release of video footage taken from the helmet-mounted camera of an officer who shot and killed a man earlier this month for camping. James Boyd, a 38-year-old homeless man thought to be schizophrenic, was shot by the Albuquerque PD on Sunday, March 16 after he became engaged in an hours-long standoff w [...]

€‹European lawmakers are calling into question the ability of the Troika to effectively deal with the crisis, and many are attacking its methods. An investigation report due in April will look at the handling of the Greek sovereign debt debacle. [...]

Since the EU and the US recognize the current government in Kiev, should they not pay for Ukraine's economic woes? What will a sanctions war accomplish? And is Crimea still a red line for the West? CrossTalking with Sir Michael Arthur, Nebojsa Malic and Jacques Cheminade. [...]

Philosopher, plutocrat, poseur or perfectionist investor, George Soros has a remarkable pedigree for prophecy. His latest assessment? The euro may kill the EU itself. Thanks to his investment acumen, George Soros is doubtless the richest philosopher in history, a position which has allowed him to bankroll all manner of activities from sponsoring Xerox machines in the Soviet bloc during the cold wa [...]

The EU has imposed new sanctions to prevent Vladimir Putin from further escalating the crisis in Ukraine. Berlin has played a leading role in the punitive actions, despite protests from the German business community. There's no turning back for Merkel. [...]

Panama's government has put into operation the country's first solar plant at a cost of approximately $10 million, authorities said. The 2.4 MW plant, inaugurated Thursday by President Ricardo Martinelli at the Sarigua National Park in central Panama, was built with the support of the Italian government and Rome-based Enel Green Power... [...]

Cuts average 25.3% in 10 most deprived areas of England, and 2.54% in 10 least deprived areas. The most deprived communities in the country are bearing the brunt of government cuts while more affluent areas are escaping relatively unscathed, according to an analysis of official figures. [...]

While most of us are in the dark about the contents of TPP, which Obama aims to seal by year end, corporate lobbyists are in the know about what it contains. Obama and the rest of the neoliberal (“free-trade”) Democrats are dying to implement it, and the Republican servants of the same fine CEOs are not far behind. [...]

Monday 23 December marks the 100th Anniversary of the creation of the Federal Reserve System - the Central Bank of the United States of America. The mainstream media are keeping remarkably quiet about this key milestone. [...]

Russia continues its gold buying spree, adding 0.3 tonnes to its 996.4 tonne stockpile, marking a nine month increase, according to the IMF’s June statistics report. [...]

Germany's Bundesbank plans to store half the national gold reserves in its own vaults by 2020. It will mean the return of 700 tons of the precious metal from the US and France [...]

An analyst says China plan to quit the dollar draws anger from Washington. Finian Cunningham made the remark in a Sunday column for Press TV amid escalation of tensions between US and China over Beijing's enforcement of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). [...]

Pope Francis has taken aim at capitalism as "a new tyranny" and is urging world leaders to step up their efforts against poverty and inequality, saying "thou shall not kill" the economy. Francis calls on rich people to share their wealth. [...]

Roughly 40 percent of New York City’s military veterans are finding themselves facing hunger with few options for help, and the problem may be get worse in the future. According to Margarette Purvis, the president and CEO of the Food Bank for New York City, about 95,000 veterans need food aid such as those offered by soup kitchens and other hunger-relief organizations. [...]

Bitcoin is an indiscriminate and pure technology, with which you can be anywhere and be anybody and still be able to spend - that'€™s why it'€™s very popular in the developing world, economist Jeffrey Tucker told RT. "Bitcoiniacs" has set up the first ever bitcoin ATM. Is this pushing legal boundaries? How will the authorities view this? [...]

Chinese Politburo member Yu Zhengsheng said reforms to be discussed at a Communist Party meeting next month will be unprecedented, adding to signs that leaders are resolved to spur far-reaching policy changes. [...]

China'€™s leadership will soon usher in bold reforms to support a domestic consumption-driven economic model, and globalizing the renminbi as an alternative store of wealth to the US dollar is at the center of the strategy. The scathing commentary published by China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency calling for a "de-Americanized world" was undoubtedly music to the ears of many in the developin [...]