A report by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) in the US has revealed that global debt levels have surged to US$217 trillion in the first quarter of 2017. This is 327 percent of the world's annual economic output (GDP). [...]

The Republican healthcare proposal amounts to a tax cut for the rich, and the US economy would benefit far more from establishing single-payer healthcare, according to Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in America. The 86-year-old Nebraskan is the chief executive of investing house Berkshire Hathaway and has a net worth of $75.6 billion, according to Forbes. He is the world’s second-riche [...]

The answer is crystal clear. For years, Social Security has served as a key source of income for millions of retired Americans. In fact, these days, an estimated 61% of retirees rely on their benefits to provide at least half of their income. The problem, however, is that Social Security was never designed to cover seniors' living costs in their entirety. So when we ask whether the average America [...]

Ex-Illuminati Banker Exposes The Elite – In English Audio – Ronald Bernard Video – Vigilant Citizen Imagine if this would be mandatory learning in school. Pass this on and let’s hope that all humanity hears this story. The Matrix is destroying us and most of us have no clue. We go to church, school, work, reproduce, and we do so without understanding we are being manipulated by forces [...]

While markets are forecasting only a 10 percent chance of a global recession, Danish investment firm Saxo Bank puts the odds at over 60 percent. "Our main global macro outlook still maintains that recession is more likely than not in the near future (12 to 18 months) based on the global credit impulse having peaked simultaneously with global inflation," chief economist at Saxo Bank Steen Jakobs [...]

The ruble continues its seemingly unstoppable rally boosted by foreign investors seeking high yield returns. The currency has gained over 30 percent against the US dollar in just over a year. On Thursday, the ruble rose 0.4 percent versus the greenback and was trading at 56.35 at 7:35am GMT, and gained 0.6 percent to 60.60 against the euro.   [...]

Americans have shown that they strongly refute almost every aspect of the proposed budget of US President Donald Trump, a plan described as perfectly mirroring the agenda of his extremely wealthy cabinet members. A new Quinnipiac poll published Friday revealed that a wide majority of US citizens oppose the sweeping cuts proposed by Trump to popular long-term government programs. [...]

The cyber firm investigating allegations of a Moscow-sponsored attack on US Democratic Party servers has a history of linking "Russian hacking" with imaginary events. But just days ago, FBI Director James Comey heralded CrowdStrike as a "highly respected private company" before the Senate. [...]

On March 23, the GMHC, an AIDS service organization, is due to honor former President Bill Clinton, the founder of the Clinton Foundation, for his 15-year effort to battle HIV/AIDS. Speaking to Sputnik, Wall Street analyst Charles Ortel disclosed what really lay behind the charity's HIV/AIDS initiative. Do the Clintons deserve so much praise? [...]

The executive board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has delayed the third review of its loan program to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry said Sunday. Earlier in March, IMF Communications Department Director Gerry Rice said the fund's directors planned to meet on March 20 to make the final decision on providing a new tranche of loans to Ukraine. [...]

The rise of Donald Trump raises opportunities and perils regarding the prospects for societal transformation and change. On the one hand, reactionary forces have been emboldened, on issues from health care reform and deregulation to militarism and taxes. But times of crisis also provide opportunities to build toward progressive change over the mid-to-long-term. With that in mind, it’s worth refl [...]

WikiLeaks is holding a press conference following the release of the first part of 'Vault 7,' the largest archive of CIA-related classified documents yet. Follow the live feed to find out more. Notice that there seem to be interruptions with the stream. [...]

The major takeaway from the US Presidential election, and from the events which have shaped the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s Presidency - both his actions and the reactions of his opponents - is that America is tired. It is not difficult to see why since the US has for decades been behaving in a way that was guaranteed eventually to exhaust it. [...]

Brexiteer professor Ted Malloch, who is likely to become the United States ambassador to the European Union, has predicted the looming failure of the single European currency. [...]

Sure, everyone is guilty of paying for something they really don't need every now and then. But, the most financially successful people don't make a habit of it. In fact, that's one of their secrets of success. Generally speaking, successful people have good spending habits. They don't waste money on unnecessary fees, impulse buys and silly splurges. [...]

All of Ukraine's major creditors, from the World Bank to the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development, the European Investment Bank, and Germany's KfW Development Bank, are concerned about Kiev's inability to successfully absorb the funds that have been allocated to the country, a World Bank official working in Ukraine told local media. [...]

The label ‘conspiracy theorist’ is used by Western Establishment gatekeepers as a means of shutting down debate and smearing those who have the temerity to challenge elite-friendly narratives. As I argued in an Op-Edge last year, there's a great irony here. [...]

Near-zero interest rates are forcing investors to look for higher yields, and that could come from Russian corporate bonds, even though they are difficult to get under Western sanctions. Russian issuers were practically ousted from the world’s financial markets in early 2014 when European and US sanctions were introduced. [...]

A Dublin court has sent three former senior banking executives to jail for committing "sham transactions" in an effort to deceive customers and shareholders during the 2008 financial crisis."The trio will be among the first senior bankers globally to be jailed for their role in the collapse of a bank during the crisis," as Reuters reports. [...]

Pope Francis surprised reporters on a flight from Krakow to the Vatican late Sunday when he blamed the "god of money" for extremist violence in Europe and the Middle East, saying that a ruthless global economy leads disenfranchised people to violence. [...]

A stress test conducted a few days ago by the European Banking Authority confirmed a poor condition of many credit institutions in Europe. Italian banks and Germany’s Deutsche Bank are doing the worst. In recent months, Deutsche Bank shares have lost 25% of their value, French bank Société 23% [...]

In June, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) labelled Deutsche Bank as the most risky global financial institution. Experts do not believe the bank will suffer the same destiny as Lehman Brothers. But if it does this would be a global financial catastrophe. [...]