At a news conference in the Turkish capital, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to suggest the end of Bashar Assad’s presidency was no longer a prerequisite for a way out of the Syrian crisis, in a U-turn from Washington’s long-held policy. “I think the ... longer term status of President Assad will be decided by the Syrian people,” said Tillerson at a joint conference with Tu [...]

According to NATO's nuclear weapons obligations, dating back to the Cold War, German planes are to carry US bombs in the event of an atomic strike. Although the country’s Tornado fighter jets are close to the end of their operational life and already cost millions of dollars to taxpayers, it remains unclear which aircraft will replace them. [...]

The circumstances of the alleged chemical attack against the Khan Sheikhun settlement remain unknown, with many experts preferring not to hurry with a final verdict. However, it didn't prevent the US from launching missile attacks on Syria "in response." Funnily enough, at that same moment when US President Donald Trump violated the "Western values," he received a standing ovation from Europe [...]

The Russian president made a small but noticeable contribution to keeping the Palestinian Authority in order when he put a fallen peaked cap back where it belonged – on the head of a member of an honor guard. The amusing interlude happened on Friday as Vladimir Putin was visiting the Palestinian city of Bethlehem to meet PA chief Mahmoud Abbas. [...]

After his election, Donald Trump had a narrow path to a transformational presidency, but it required breaking the neocon grip on U.S. foreign policy and telling truth to U.S. citizens. Already, Trump has failed, says Robert Parry. The 100-day mark may be an artificial measuring stick for a U.S. president. Obviously much can happen in the remaining 1,361 days of a four-year term. But Donald Trum [...]

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hit back at threats from Washington over Moscow’s support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, insisting Caracas and its neighbors deserve the option not to be US vassal states. “I have heard the threats from Washington about punishing all those who work with Venezuela,” Lavrov confirmed during a press conference in Mexico City on Thursday. “But [...]

As concern surrounds Donald Trump’s decision on a key climate deal, one Republican Congressman believes God will “take care of” the global rise in temperature attributed to emissions. [...]

A rendezvous on a yacht sailing the open sea is a perfect recipe for romance for any couple, even if it weighs almost as much as the boat itself! Two highly-relaxed seals have been filmed lazily chilling on a yacht that apparently served the pinnipeds as a halting post in their journey. The yacht, which appears to be too small for the couple, is almost half-sunk in the water under the seals' weigh [...]

A brief trip to Crimea in June 2017 made me understand: Crimea wants to be a part of the "bigger world," but only together with Russia. The theme of economic sanctions against Russia and especially against its region of Crimea is becoming a real bonanza for lawyers. [...]

In 2014, shale drillers were pushed to the brink of oblivion by low oil prices, and today with prices nearing similar levels it seems the sector has not learned its lesson. It feels like 2014 for the oil industry all over again, except this time, things could get even worse. Most US shale wells have a breakeven well above today’s current oil prices. The result will be that the shale industry in [...]

China and Russia have already ditched the US dollar in their vast energy trade. Now China is leveraging Saudi Arabia to also abandon the greenback for oil sales. No wonder, it seems, that US policies are increasingly lashing out. US global power depends on its presumed economic prowess and military force. With its economy in long-term decline, precipitated by the teetering dollar, the US rulers [...]

The Covid-19 market turmoil set off a chain of flashbacks in my mind, from crisis to crisis over the past 40 years. They all fit together in a picture of Wall Street fraud and criminal policies, with the virus as the last straw. Last week, I spoke with a young stock trader currently working on Wall Street. I remember saying: “The last time I remember seeing volatility like this in markets, my 40 [...]

By expressing concerns over the Moscow-Ankara talks on the delivery of the S-400 missile defense system to Turkey, Washington is engaged in unfair competition in the arms market, according to military analyst Viktor Murakhovsky. Recently, the United States said that Turkey buying the S-400 system would become a major concern. [...]

After days of intense negotiations and video conferences OPEC+ and G20 have sealed a deal aimed at tackling the oil market imbalance. Economic analysts have explained how the newly introduced cuts will affect the market in the short- and medium-term. On Sunday, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the US struck a deal with the world's petroleum producers for major oil output cuts in response to a d [...]

The UK is investing in F-35 fighter jets, part of a massive £160 billion program to re-equip the British military. It comes in the midst of painful austerity when there is no money for anything else, says political analyst Dan Glazebrook. The UK's plan to purchase F-35 fighter jets has MPs debating the increasing costs.   [...]

VIENNA -Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Friday delivered a speech timed with the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in which he recalled the responsibility of his own country for the events of 1939-1945. "The horrors of National Socialism were so indescribable that we should make sure to draw our lessons from that time. This is especially true for Austria, because not o [...]

Russian scientists and local oil field services companies claim to have created a technology for thermochemical gas fracturing that could be an alternative to hydraulic fracturing and could increase oil production by between 1.7 and 6 times, Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti reports, citing the University of Tyumen’s press service. [...]

US authorities have informed the Netherlands of being unable to provide additional information about a missile fired at the Malaysian Airlines Boeing, МН17, apart from a document sent in 2014, presiding judge Hendrik Steenhuis has stated at the resumed hearings in the MH17 case. "The court asked whether classified satellite images of the missile launch, presented to Dutch special servic [...]

The British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Canada on Monday, September 18, with the row between Boeing and Bombardier on her agenda. Sputnik spoke to an expert who said the dispute could "escalate." Boeing claims huge Canadian government subsidies allowed them to sell a new fleet of planes at substantially less than the market price. [...]

The emergence of the first vaccine against the coronavirus infection has sparked interest across the globe, as the drug promises not only an end to COVID-19-related deaths, but also a path to restoring a country's economy. After almost half a year of the battle against the coronavirus, a real ray of hope has appeared with the announcement of the first COVID-19 vaccine being registered in [...]

Three Democratic congressmen have recently raised the alarm over Radio Sputnik's allegedly using "US airwaves to influence the presidential election" back in 2016, apparently being uninformed that the broadcaster went on the air on the 105.5 FM frequency in Washington on July 1, 2017, almost eight months after the vote. [...]

International law has gradually been replaced with trial by public opinion and states have become obsessed with narrative control. Information wars and “fake news” are the natural consequences and trust in the media is collapsing. Much focus is devoted to the polarization of media coverage in domestic politics, although what is the state of affairs in the coverage of international politics? [...]