Crimea's largest bank will write off loans taken out by the families of the victims who died in the bloodiest school shooting in Russia’s history last week in the city of Kerch. “Russian National Commercial Bank is ready to write off all the unpaid loans to families of those who died in a polytechnic college in Kerch if the relatives apply for the procedure,” the lender, which operates mo [...]

By withdrawing from a key nuclear arms treaty, the US could be shooting itself in the foot in Europe, but Trump doesn’t care about Europeans, he cares about Russia, China and - most of all – Israel, says author John Laughland. [...]

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged that “justice will prevail” in the case involving the death of columnist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul earlier in October. [...]

The controversial White Helmets rescue group has been praised in the Western media as heroes, and derided by the Syrian government as 'al-Qaeda's civil defense' network. But is there a middle ground between such polarizing views? A Sputnik correspondent got an unprecedented inside look into the group's operations in southern Syria. [...]

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is cutting down on its holding of US Treasuries, joining many other emerging economies which have been off loading their stock of US debt amid rising rates. The country’s share of US sovereign debt saw a gradual decline from $157 billion in March to $140 billion as of the end of August, according to the latest US Treasury report. [...]

US President Donald Trump threatned Russia and China that Washington intends to build up its nuclear arsenal until “people come to their senses.” The president said his words were directed towards Moscow and Beijing, as he prepared to unilaterally leave the Intermediate Nuclear Forces in Europe (INF) treaty. [...]

In a phone call with President Donald Trump, the Turkish leader emphasized the need to disclose all circumstances of journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s death. Earlier Recep Tayyip Erdogan promised to make an “important statement” soon. [...]

She promised to “Make Canada Safe Again!” and stop Toronto turning into “a sharia safe space,” and in return Faith Goldy has been censured by rivals, blacklisted by major media outlets and dismissed in court. Is she a big deal? [...]

Europe should stop backing a Russia-led project to deliver natural gas to the continent, according to US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell. However, not all the European nations agree. [...]

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, who signed the INF treaty with then-US President Ronald Reagan, says Washington’s move to withdraw from it is a “mistake” and “a narrow-minded” decision. [...]

If the US ditches the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), it could collapse the entire nuclear non-proliferation system, and bring nuclear war even closer, Russian officials warn. [...]

The Saudi tale of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's accidental death in a 'fistfight' resembles a poorly hatched Plan B to salvage the record arms deals with the US, while shifting the blame on underlings, political analysts told RT. "It does not add up! I mean who did they have at the consulate – Mike Tyson?" Richard Becker from the anti-war ANSWER Coalition noted, after Saudi Arabia admitted [...]

Not satisfied with the Saudi story on how journalist Jamal Khashoggi died in Turkey, EU leaders are demanding an in-depth probe, with Germany's foreign minister saying that Berlin shouldn’t sell arms to Riyadh until it’s finished. [...]

The Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out over 40,000 missions, including over 21,000 sorties during the night time, in the course of their operation in Syria, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said at the fifth ASEAN and Dialogue Partners Defense Ministers Meeting (ADMM-Plus) in Singapore.   [...]

The new European Right are likely to bring an end to EU expansionism towards Russia's borders and finally seal a post-Cold War settlement between Moscow and the West, Glenn Diesen, professor at the Higher School of Economics, has told Sputnik. [...]

The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to exit the Cold War-era Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty next week. The treaty, signed in 1987 by the US and the USSR, was one of the key steps in the de-escalation of the Cold War, yet US President Donald Trump plans to tell Russian authorities that the US is planning to terminate the agreement, The New York Timesreported Fr [...]

Earlier reports suggested that the deal between Moscow and Jakarta could fall under the US Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), despite attempts to secure a waiver for Indonesia. [...]

Inconvenient thoughts on Cold War and other news. Intelligence agencies, Nikki Haley, sanctions, and public opinion. 1. National intelligence agencies have long played major roles, often not entirely visible, in international politics. [...]

The mysterious disappearance of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi has captivated the world, as accusations against Riyadh keep growing. RT unpacks allegations and gruesome details reported over the last two weeks.  Jamal Khashoggi was once close to the Saudi elites but fled the kingdom last year in fear of prosecution. [...]

NASA managed to convince the White House to ‘temporarily’ lift the travel ban imposed on Russian space chief Dmitry Rogozin so he could pay a visit to the US, the head of NASA said on Friday. NASA “succeeded” in temporarily “removing” the head of the Russian national space agency ‘Roscosmos’ from the sanctions list, Jim Bridenstine told TASS news agency. [...]

The Arctic is becoming an arena for a fierce competition to control transportation routes & natural resources of global importance. The upcoming Trident Juncture exercise is NATO’s attempt to demonstrate dominance in the region. NATO says that Russia has nothing to worry about, because the exercise – which will be held in Norway and Iceland between October 25 and November 23 – “doesn� [...]

Senior executives of major Western corporations will still attend Saudi Arabia’s business forum despite the grizzly details of the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Goldman Sachs, Pepsi, Thales and EDF senior executives are all expected to attend Saudi Arabia’s business forum, dubbed as the 'Davos of the Desert' next week. [...]