Russian combat aircraft carried out over 300 missions in Syria since the beginning of 2016, hitting about 1,100 terrorist targets in ten provinces, the Russian General Staff said Monday. "With the help of the Russian aviation the Syrian Democratic Forces under the command of Ayman Flyat al-Ganim continue the advance on the Daesh capital — Raqqa. They have taken control over al-Salhiya, Rdzhem [...]

The brittle insecurity of the Saudi rulers will have been shattered even more this past week, with Washington’s political establishment openly calling into question the historic alliance between the two countries. Saudi Arabia was denounced in the main editorial pages of both the New York Times and the Washington Post – the US’ two leading newspapers – for its “dangerous sectarian pol [...]

Step-by-step Russia, China and other emerging economies are taking measures to reduce their dependence on the US dollar, F. William Engdahl notes, referring to Russia's crude oil benchmark initiative; the move could deal a dramatic blow to the "petrodollar's" dominance. [...]

Fed up with the ongoing conflict and seeing no light at the end of the tunnel, the people of Mali have started a petition asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to save their country from the ongoing crisis, the newspaper Actusen.com reported. "France isn't for peace in Mali," the committee that started the petition campaign believes, according to Actusen.com. [...]

While the liberal media is working on damage limitation as the fairy dust on its childlike delusions is blown away by the harsh winds of reality in places like Cologne, it is time for European nations to ask themselves whether they believe in their own right to exist. Just because post-WWII European liberals have been culturally neutered doesn’t mean that the armies of young men pouring in fr [...]

With corruption rampant and living standards falling, Ukraine may become the next failed state that “benefited” from a neoconservative-driven “regime change,” though the blame will always be placed elsewhere – in this case, on the demonized Russian President Putin, writes Robert Parry. Nearly two years since U.S. officials helped foment a coup in Ukraine – partly justified by corrup [...]

The U.S. mainstream media excludes almost all reporting and analysis that challenges the neocon/liberal-interventionist “group think” about the supposed Russian threat, but once in awhile a backhand acknowledgement of reality slips through, as Gilbert Doctorow was surprised to find. [...]

A lot of Ukrainian citizens understand that the worst for their country is yet to come. The current government which is on the brink of collapse will not be able to reform the country's "rotten system", Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote. It is unlikely that Ukraine will be able to come out from the current crisis. The government is stuck in internal squabbles, while the country is being run [...]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel made neither public nor personal statements about the terror alert in Munich or the violent attacks on women in Cologne. Both events occurred five or six days ago and left the German population in the state of shock. [...]

Former US president Bill Clinton said Russian President Vladimir Putin had "enormous potential" in a conversation with former British prime minister Tony Blair, The New York Times reports citing newly-released documents. The documents transcribe phone calls between Clinton and Blair from May 1997 to December 2000. [...]

I’m feeling more and more in recent months that, as difficult as it may be to believe, our world is moving away from seemingly endless wars. Make no mistake, we haven’t seen the end of wars at all. The dynamic and the war energy is changing, however. Not without a frenzy of self-conceit does the so-called Western World throw forks, china, pots, pans, rolling pins–anything it can get its b [...]

The 28-member western military bloc has once again “categorically” denied that it poses any threat to Russia, arguing that its ongoing enlargement is “not directed against anyone”. The comments are just the latest in the war of words between NATO and Russia, but it’s another example of how nonsensical the alliance’s conflicting talking points are. [...]

In Cologne, protests turned into a gruesome scene when a crowd of about 1000 young men attacked police with fireworks and committed robberies and sexual assaults. The men were of north African or Arabic appearance. This is the thanks immigrants give to those who welcome them with open arms. COLOGNE EYEWITNESS: POLICE DESCRIBED SITUATION AS “CIVIL WAR” POLICE: MOST OF COLOGNE SEX ATTACK [...]

The deepening crisis between Saudi Arabia and Iran, following the controversial execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr by the Saudis, shows no evidence of abating. Direct military confrontation is now a distinct possibility. For many experts, analysts, commentators, and people familiar with the Middle East, the prospect of military conflict between the Saudis and the Iranians will come as no s [...]

Russia and China have achieved remarkable success in their efforts to develop advanced navies, which presents a challenge to America's naval supremacy at a time when the US Navy is trying to adapt to the changing security environment, US Chief of Naval Operations Admiral John Richardson said. [...]

Washington has long played the role of a "bodyguard" for Saudi Arabia. However, recent events have showed that Riyadh is not supportive of the United States, but rather harming its interests, Ali Al-Ahmed, an expert at the Institute for Gulf Affairs in Washington, said. [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been on fire lately – he not only managed to push through a Russian strategy in the Middle East, but also made both the United States and Saudi Arabia finally accept his point of view on finding a peaceful solution in Syria, French journalist Eric Verhaeghe wrote for Atlantico. [...]

Alleged US mercenaries were seen in a night club in the city of Mariupol under Kiev's control, a Donetsk People's Republic military official said. The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) intelligence has detected the presence of alleged US mercenaries in southern Donbass, DPR deputy defense minister said Thursday. [...]

The UN Library has created a media storm by publishing information about its most borrowed book of 2015. Titled ‘Heads of State and State Officials for International Crimes,’ the publication advises world leaders on how to literally get away with murder. [...]

The EU has been storing up problems for years, which brings to mind the popular cliche, 'when it rains, it pours'. Could 2016 be the year the levee finally breaks? As the 20th century concluded, I was a Dublin cub reporter. There was an older journalist I greatly admired. [...]

Cologne police were not ready to deal with the mass sexual assaults committed during New Year’s celebrations, the city’s police chief told RT, adding that they have never experienced such incidents before. "Eventually we had a situation where a large group of men were going after women. We did intervene and help. But I'll admit that we were totally bewildered by it all. [...]

Three months ago, on September 30, at the request of Syrian leader Bashar Assad Russia launched a military operation against terrorists of Daesh (Islamic State). The very next day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the first results of the offensive. [...]