The US is working to create alternative government systems on Syrian territory which goes against its promises to respect the country’s territorial integrity, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. Responding to a question posed by RT’s Caleb Maupin at Friday's briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, Lavrov commented on America's role in the crisis in northern Syria, [...]

Vladimir Putin was first elected as Russian President in 2000. Here’s how the Russian economy has transformed in the intervening years by numbers. Before Putin’s election, Russia had a $9,889 GDP per capita by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). [...]

The US must withdraw its troops from Syria’s northern Manbij region and put an end to its support for Kurdish militia in the area, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu demanded Saturday. Cavusoglu told reporters on Saturday that the US needs to immediately withdraw from the region near the city [...]

What’s sometime referred to as ‘shadow bankers’ have been running the economy and drafting US domestic economic policy since Trump took office. ‘Shadow’ banks include such financial institutions as investment banks, private equity firms, hedge funds, insurance companies, finance companies, asset management companies, etc. [...]

The roundups are getting worse. The checkpoints are getting worse. The harassment is getting worse. The things we were worried would happen are happening. No one is safe. No one is immune. No one gets spared the anguish, fear and heartache of living under the shadow of an authoritarian police state. [...]

Foreign forces need the Afrin offensive launched by the Turks to enflame a new round of war in the region, Syrian official Heifi Mustafa told Sputnik. For his part, Turkish academic Samir Salehah argues that Ankara's Operation Olive Branch falls within the framework of Article 51 of the UN Charter as a self-defense operation. [...]

In an unprecedented situation, Washington failed to convince its closest allies in the Arab world to support Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the UN General Assembly, Aiman Abdel Shafi an academic specializing on international relations and the US affairs told Sputnik. [...]

Men in France could be fined €350 (US$435) if they follow women in the street, whistle at them, make loud comments about their appearance or ask for their phone numbers, according to a draft proposal to combat “sexual contempt.” [...]

Beijing has announced plans to extend the ambitious Belt and Road Initiative to the Arctic by developing shipping routes, in a project dubbed the Polar Silk Road. In a white paper released on Friday, the country said it expects to have a “major role in expanding the network of shipping routes” and noted that “as a result of global warming, the Arctic shipping routes are likely to become impo [...]

President Vladimir Putin said he wants to keep foreign shipping out of Russia's Northern Sea Route, giving exclusive rights to Russian vessels. It will increase the volume of shipping, strengthen the position of the domestic shipping companies, and create additional opportunities for fleet renewal, he said. [...]

For centuries both Russia and the UK have struggled to define their relationship with continental Europe. Over the past few years, both seem to have decided to go their separate ways only to be pulled back. What does Europe think of it all, and whom does that refer to anyway? Oksana is joined by former Prime Minister of Italy Giuliano Amato to discuss this. [...]

Life is confusing in 2018. There are times when everyone around you is offended by something, and you feel left out because common sense has kicked in, you’ve remained calm, and got on with your life. This is a horrible situation to be in. [...]

Qatar is in the “advanced stage” of negotiating the purchase of Russia’s advanced S-400 anti-aircraft system. The long-range SAM missile weapon seems to be the latest fad in the Middle East after its Syria showcase. Doha’s negotiations with Moscow on the purchase of the S-400 system is “in the advanced stage,” Qatari Ambassador to Russia Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah told TASS news age [...]

Kurdish officials in Afrin have urged Damascus to send troops to protect Syria’s sovereignty from the “Turkish occupier.” Ankara insists it will return the enclave to its “original owner” after its “liberation” from “terrorists.” The self-administrated, Kurdish-held enclave in the northern Syria issued a plea for help to the Syrian government on Thursday, reiterating its commitme [...]

A group of some of the largest hospital chains in the US has had it with Big Pharma price gouging, announcing their intention to form their own nonprofit drug manufacturing company.  A coalition of several of America's largest hospital systems have announced that they will collaborate on the creation of a not-for-profit organization to manufacture and distribute an as-yet-unnamed list of generic [...]

While Secretary of Defense James Mattis recommends Ankara not to take reports of the creation of a "border force" in northern Syria to heart, Washington sees its Kurdish allies as a tool which will allow it to remain relevant in Syria, ex-CIA officer and Canada-based Syrian political observer told Sputnik. [...]

The American delegation at Davos seem to be avoiding any contact with their Russian counterparts. At least that’s the impression Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Arkady Dvorkovich, shared with journalists. [...]

The same US intelligence agencies that fed mainstream media the narrative about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction should be trusted when they say RT’s critical reporting is propaganda, according to a BBC-hosted panel on fake news. The four-person panel discussed the phenomenon of fake news on the sidelines of the Davos Economic Forum on Wednesday. Moderating the event was BBC host Zeinab Badawi. [...]

Pyongyang has warned third parties against fueling tensions and interfering in the inter-Korean reconciliation process, claiming it is making a “great effort” to reunify the peninsula against the backdrop of US nuclear threat. “We will courageously smash all of the challenges of the nation’s desire for reunification,” the government statement carried by KCNA reads. [...]

If Washington wants to avoid direct confrontation with Turkey in northern Syria, it “should stop supporting terrorists,” the country's deputy prime minister told Turkish TV channel, A Haber. “Those who support the terrorist organization will become a target in this battle,” Bekir Bozdag said. [...]

The greenback has touched the lowest level against major global currencies since 2015. This comes after the US treasury secretary announced that Washington favors a weak dollar in trade.  Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Steven Mnuchin said that a weaker dollar “is good for us as it relates to trade and opportunities.” [...]

The US' determination to maintain its presence in Syria is primarily about crude and pipelines, not security issues, geopolitical analyst Phil Butler told Sputnik. Meanwhile, it appears that the Turks may undermine the US' plans. Following the defeat of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL), Washington continues its proxy war in Syria, Phil Butler, a geopolitical analyst and author of "Putin's Praetorians: Confession [...]