In a dramatic shift for the US military, the army is considering the use of bullets that can expand and break up when striking a target to make new pistols more lethal, raising concern that doing so would violate international law. According to the Army Times, the Pentagon recently reviewed the use of “special purpose ammunition” and determined the army could look into enabling its next-gen [...]

Militants from far right armed group "Right Sector" clashed with police in western Ukraine on Saturday. Kiev called the incident an "act of terror," while the group said its forces would stand against the authorities across the country. Four civilians and three police officers were injured in a shoot-out in the city of Mukachevo in the Zakarpattia region of Ukraine's south-west, according to th [...]

European leaders know that the US wants to get them to spend money on military equipment which will be purchased from the US, says Brian Becker of the anti-war Answer Coalition. But Europe knows the dangers from the experience of two world wars, he added. Several senior American officials say Russia is the greatest threat to their country's national security. [...]

Russian human rights groups will soon file about 17,000 lawsuits from Ukrainian citizens in the European court. They seek compensation of about $5.6 billion over numerous rights violations committed by pro-Kiev military during the conflict in Donbass. The court action is coordinated by the Russian Public Chamber. [...]

As cash withdrawals from Greek banks reach €100 million a day the country’s banking system will end up bankrupt on Monday if no deal with creditors is reached over the weekend, some senior bank executives told the Financial Times (FT) on Friday. Cash withdrawals are at a high rate despite capital controls imposed by the Greek government. [...]

BRICS is gaining momentum as an increasingly effective organization and its New Development Bank is likely to become new source of funding for the current infrastructure gap, South Africa's Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies told RT. There’s a need for more development banks in the world involved in more developmental finance, the minister said on the sidelines of BRICS/SOC summits in Ufa [...]

The European Commission should have adjusted the economic activity of Greece before the crisis, Russian President Putin has said, adding that the EU shouldn't have issued such high bonuses and loans to the debt ridden country. “Of course, all the blame can be shifted to the Greeks. But if there were violations in their [Greece] activity, where was the European Commission? [...]

Tired of the day-to-day grind we call life? Stop googling “how to battle depression” and start living by the “F̶̷̲̅ᴜ̶̷̲̅ᴄ̶̷̲̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅  That” mantra. The instructions are easily detailed in a new meditation guide – just “breathe in strength” and breathe out you-know-what. While some may spend hundreds, even thousands, on a counselor to get them through tough tim [...]

In an impassioned speech, the un-resigned UKIP leader Nigel Farage told Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to take "courage" and quit the euro after the latest emergency bailout talks broke down. Farage said it was time to “get back control of your country,” adding the banks would “give you no more.” [...]

America,s National Security Agency has spied on German chancellors and their offices for more than 10 years, a new WikiLeaks report says. The three leaked NSA intercepts indicate that the US targeted 125 phone numbers of top German officials. The National Security Agency’s (NSA) intercepts published on Wednesday show that Washington has been tapping the phones of the political offices of the [...]

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia in partnership with the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) has agreed to invest $10 billion into Russian projects. It is the largest foreign investment in Russia. "We have reached final agreements and are announcing the creation of a partnership with the sovereign fund of Saudi Arabia, under which PIF will invest $10 billion into projects on R [...]

The heads of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk Republics in eastern Ukraine have asked the United Nations Security Council to establish an international tribunal to investigate and prosecute those responsible for waging civil war in Donbass. “Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] and Lugansk [LNR] People’s Republic are addressing the UN Security Council with a plea to establish an interna [...]

European countries should free themselves from US political dominance and the dictates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bolivian President Evo Morales told RT. In his interview with RT’s Spanish-language channel in Brussels, Morales said he is “very sorry that, instead of freeing themselves from the shackles of the North American Empire, some countries continue to live in its submi [...]

The OSCE has warned that a growing presence of heavy weaponry on the government controlled side of Donbass territory has put Ukrainian security forces in violation of the terms of the demarcation line, according to OSCE Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug. “We can highlight that the security situation has gotten worse in the Donbass over the past few weeks,” Hug said at a briefing in Mariupo [...]

The number of Americans "extremely proud" to be citizens of the US continues to fall, with a new Gallup poll revealing a three percent drop from the previous year. Of those surveyed, 54 per cent said they’re “extremely proud” to be Americans. In 2013 and 2014 that figure stood at 57. [...]

A man claiming to be a Ukrainian major general and former assistant to the country's defense minister has announced he is now working with the forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic. "I am Ukrainian Armed Forces Major General Aleksandr Kolomiyets. [...]

Over 260,000 Austrians have signed a petition calling for the EU exit for the country, and now the Austrian parliament must discuss a referendum on the issue. Overall, the 261,159 people who signed the petition represent 4.12 percent of the electorate. The petition was most popular in the regions of Lower Austria (where 5.18 percent of potential voters signed it) and in Carinthia (4.85 percent) [...]

WikiLeaks has published secret "core text" related to the controversial trade agreement currently being negotiated behind closed doors between the US, EU and 23 other countries. Big corporations look to be the biggest winners in the deal. Leaked documents of TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) negotiations reveal that the treaty is looking to undermine “governments involved in the treaty” by [...]

A study polling American and emigrant adults found that 35 percent would consider leaving the US, according to TransferWise, an international money transfer company. The most popular reason for wanting to leave was to seek a better quality of life. Despite the results of the survey, 59 percent said it was home. Another 58 percent said romantic and family ties were important reasons for staying [...]

Ukrainian nuclear inspectors have measured a significant increase in radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone caused by heavy wildfires raging in close proximity to the crippled nuclear power station. Air near the desolated settlement of Polesskoye in the Chernobyl zone is contaminated with the radioactive element cesium-137. [...]

Around 500 protesters gathered outside the US embassy in Kiev to hold an anti-war and anti-US rally on Wednesday. The demonstrators held banners reading "USA - the world's evil" and "Shame - USA" as well as "Yankees, leave Ukraine." One banner also read "Blood of the children of Donbass is on Obama's hands". Several protesters held pictures of destroyed houses and children killed during the confli [...]

The Bank of England (BoE) has warned the Greek debt crisis is a threat to UK financial stability and could trigger wider problems on financial markets. In its twice-yearly Financial Stability Report published Wednesday, the BoE claimed the risks associated with Greece had “worsened” and that the situation “remains fluid.” [...]