Washington has demanded non-US oil trading houses and refiners cut operations with Venezuela beyond the already imposed sanctions or face sanctions themselves, according to a Reuters report. [...]

France’s economy minister has suggested that the EU may compensate European companies affected by US sanctions on Iran, stressing that the bloc should not accept Washington as “the economic gendarme of the planet.” [...]

These days the media are overflowing with comments and analyses of last Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris. One particular angle is consistently ignored – or banished: religion. This is a curious omission since the terrorists themselves issue statements that indicate that religion is their motivation. [...]

The US-European united transatlantic front on sanctions took a hit this week, with Brussels warning that it would retaliate if Washington moved forward with plans to impose a sanctions regime on foreign investments in Cuba which threatened European companies. [...]

Unable to win concessions from from its trading partners ahead of the Friday deadline, the US has introduced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. The new 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports from the EU, Canada and Mexico come into force at midnight (04:00 GMT, Friday), according to US Commerce Secretary Ross. [...]

Make no mistake, US author Stephen Lendman stresses, by downing Russia's Su-24 aircraft Turkey committed a clear act of war against a nonthreatening nation. By striking Russia's Su-24 Turkey has obviously committed an act of aggression against Russia; however, it is highly naive to believe that President Erdogan acted alone, unilaterally deciding to attack the Russian plane, US author and syndi [...]

A British parliamentary survey has specifically claimed that the breakdown of diplomatic collaboration between countries and development of new technologies significantly add to the risk of a nuclear strike. [...]

Turkey didn’t acquire the Russian-built S-400 air defense systems for them to collect dust and may use them, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, adding the purchase was to reduce Ankara’s dependency on US arms supplies. “We will not just buy the S-400s and place them in a storehouse. We will use them if need be,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, as quoted by Hurr [...]

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would win the 2016 U.S. presidential election against all top Republican candidates, with scores that make him more electable in the general than even former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his main rival for the Democratic nomination, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. [...]

A year after President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the Iran Nuclear Deal, its European signatories, who still honor the agreement, have expressed concern over the US decision not to extend waivers on oil trade with Tehran. [...]

The West’s Russia policy is built upon the infamous “highly likely thing,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Larry King’s ‘Politicking’ show, saying this was epitomised by the alleged Russian ‘meddling’ and the Skripal affair. [...]

Iran has evidence of illegal oil trade between Turkey and Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) – and is ready to deliver the information to Ankara and the public, a state official said. Tehran has gathered photos and video footage of oil trucks entering Turkey. “If the government of Turkey is not informed of Daesh [derogatory term for IS] oil trade in the country, we are ready to put the [...]

Despite the trade war against China and numerous import tariffs imposed on a number of countries, the US trade deficit hit a 10-year high of $621 billion last year, the US Commerce Department reported. [...]

Calling on the Scottish government to reject the undemocratic TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), 21 grassroots organizations on Tuesday joined tens of thousands of petitioners in demanding the Scottish National Party (SNP) take a tougher stand against the controversial trade deal between the U.S. and the European Union. [...]

Turkey’s planned deployment of Russian S-400 missile defense systems would be “devastating” for the F-35 program to which Ankara has contributed over $1 billion, the Pentagon has warned. “Completion of this transaction would be devastating, not only to the F-35 program, on which the West has placed its modernized integrated air capability, but it would potentially rupture Turkish interoper [...]

After photographing the new, enormous and undoubtedly sinister building of the US embassy in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan, I was driven by a local left-wing politician towards the mountains. We agreed to have lunch; simple, good local food. In front of the restaurant, which my friend selected, was parked an indescribable monster: a white double-decker ‘extremely stretched’ limousine wi [...]

In a report detailing NATO’s deterrence policy, a Canadian senator for the Defence and Security Committee of the alliance’s Parliamentary Assembly accidentally revealed several sites the US uses to store its weapons of mass destruction in Europe. The list includes bases in Turkey, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium. [...]

Some years ago, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a multicultural society is an illusion, but she is doing everything to bring about this multicultural society, which is why I can’t believe her, says Hansjorg Mueller of the Alternative for Germany party. [...]

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – US President Donald Trump in multiple letters to Congress said he rejected resolutions that call for prohibiting weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and several other countries. [...]

The US has ordered 20 additional RD-180 rocket engines from Russia, days after US Congress lifted the ban on the use of Russian engines to get American ships into space. However, the move has been lambasted by some politicians in Washington. [...]

In the age of Trump, American diplomacy seems to have died. After two years in the White House, the US president has alienated countless world leaders, including close allies. Trump’s free-wheeling, reprobate style has caused Washington foreign policy establishment to shudder, decrying how his presidency has damaged the United States’ world standing. [...]

"Following Turkey’s downing of a Russian jet striking the Islamic State (IS), it is undeniable that Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan supports jihad terrorism in Syria. IS exports oil via Turkey and terrorists of IS, al-Qaeda, and other jihad groups transit the border." [...]