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‘Reshaping space market’: Russia mulls building rocket plane with nuclear engine
Russian space agency Roscosmos is considering building a spaceplane powered by a nuclear reactor, according to a memo obtained by a Russian news agency. The move could “reshape” the market for space launches, the document says. [...]
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China to slap US with up to 25% bigger import tariffs in trade war retaliation
Beijing is hiking up tariffs on more than 128 US imports, including fruit and pork, as part of a tit-for-tat response to US President Donald Trump’s $60 billion package of tariffs imposed against China. The additional fares, which range from 15 to 25 percent, will take effect on Monday, the Chinese Finance Ministry said on their website. [...]
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Trump’s Golan gift to Israel condemned by UN, Gulf & European allies
Donald Trump's decision to recognize Israel's annexation of the Syrian Golan has been met with condemnation by the international community, with the UN and Washington's Gulf and European allies slamming the move. [...]
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95% of Turkey’s Population Oppose Alliance With NATO, US – Former General
The Turkish government has clashed with the US and other NATO members on a number of occasions in the past few years, raising questions over the country's membership of the military bloc and its future relations with the West. [...]
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The one thing that could derail the US oil boom
As US crude exports soar, an unexpected issue is plaguing domestic producers, and it could completely derail the country’s oil boom. Two South Korean refiners have canceled the delivery of US crude oil cargoes that were due to arrive in January and February this year, Bloomberg reported earlier this week. [...]
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Russia to suspend nuclear, rocket cooperation with America, ban US tobacco & alcohol – draft law
Russian lawmakers have drafted a bill suspending cooperation with US companies in the nuclear, missile and aircraft-building spheres, as well as introducing restrictions on imports of alcohol and tobacco produced in the US. “The bill is about alcohol and tobacco products and about ceasing or suspending international cooperation in the nuclear sphere, rocket engine building and aircraft building [...]
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They’re magic! Eating mushrooms could slash risk of cognitive decline by 50%
Plus, other things that can help keep you mentally sharp. Call them magic mushrooms. Older people who eat more than two portions of mushrooms a week could cut their odds of having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by 50%, according to a recent six-year study of Chinese men and women over age 60 that was published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. [...]
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Russia entrusts its gold to no one, has zero bullion in US
The Central Bank of Russia keeps all its bullion at home, since only in Russia can its gold be completely safe, according to Anatoly Aksakov, the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Financial Markets. Answering a question about Turkey’s decision to repatriate its gold from the US Federal Reserve, Aksakov said: "We do not have a gold reserve in the US, we have only Forex (foreign exchange) re [...]
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Biden’s Ukraine ties: Nepotism and corruption or ‘conservatives pounce’?
As Joe Biden leads the pack of candidates for Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, the New York Times has decided to describe accusations about his son’s shady dealings in Ukraine as a politically motivated Trump hit job. [...]
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‘Syrian strike was risk without benefit for US, as Russia got American weapon samples’
By striking Syria, the US and its allies basically sacrificed their advanced arms to Russia without receiving any actual benefit on the ground, Charles Shoebridge, a security analyst and former UK army officer, told RT. The Russian Defense Ministry’s display of fragments of missiles, which were fired at Syrian targets by the Western allies on April 14, would be “a source of great concern to th [...]
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Israeli NSO Group Linked To WhatsApp Spyware Attack Hit With Amnesty Lawsuit
Earlier this week, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced it had rushed to patch up a security hole in its messaging service, which it believed had been exploited by the Israeli-owned NSO Group. [...]
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‘Goodbye Europe!’ Der Spiegel depicts Trump as middle finger flipping off EU amid Iran deal tensions
German magazine Der Spiegel has released its new issue, with a cover featuring Donald Trump on a middle finger, flipping the bird. It comes just days after the US angered Europe by walking away from the Iran nuclear deal. Reaction from EU officials is still pouring in since Trump announced his decision earlier this week, so it didn’t take long before the cover was retweeted by French Ambassador [...]
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Tit-for-tat: Beijing to draft ‘blacklist’ of foreign companies harming interests of Chinese firms
The Commerce Ministry of China has pledged to create a list of foreign individuals, corporations and institutions that are considered “unreliable” or that violate the interests of Chinese businesses, state media reports. [...]
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Impunity ensured: US blocks UN call to probe Israeli crackdown on Palestinians
A damning UN Security Council draft statement on Israel’s use of force against protesters at the Gaza border was blocked by the US. Nearly 60 people were killed as the new US Embassy opened in Jerusalem. Monday was the bloodiest day in six weeks of protesting by Palestinians at Israel’s border wall, during which hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli soldiers. [...]
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Russian warplanes disrupt ISIS oil sales channels; destroy 500 terrorist oil trucks in Syria
Around 500 fuel tanker vehicles transporting illegal oil from Syria to Iraq for processing have been destroyed by Russia’s Air Forces, the General Staff said. “In recent years, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and other extremist groups have organized the operations of the so-called ‘pipeline on wheels’ on the territories they control,” Russian General Staff spokesman Colonel Ge [...]
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Oil Tanker Attacks in the Gulf Have US Fingerprints All Over Them
It was the Spanish philosopher, poet and novelist, George Santayana (1863-1952), who warned us all: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it". [...]
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“We gave you uranium, you repaid us by bombing Belgrade”: Putin slams US over nuclear treaties
Vladimir Putin has criticized the US for failing to keep their end of the bargain in a host of international disarmament agreements. He says Moscow will not exit any existing treaties, but promised an “instant, symmetrical response” if Washington decides to quit first. [...]
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New Docs Reveal NSA Never Ended Bulk Email Collection, Just Hid It Better
The National Security Agency (NSA) secretly replaced its program monitoring Americans' emails and moved it overseas before the operation was exposed by Edward Snowden in 2013, according to new reporting. NSA officials responded to Snowden's leaks by stating that the email records program had shut down in 2011—and in a way, it had. [...]
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China bringing back Maritime Silk Road: RT doc looks inside world’s largest cargo port
The leader of the world’s container port rankings, Yangshan Port, works around the clock to secure its top position and boost China’s trade connections. RTD’s new film offers a glimpse inside the massive facility. [...]
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US ‘losing its cards’ in Syria: Highlights of  RT’s interview with Bashar Assad
Washington and its “puppets” tried, and failed, to destroy Syria – and the US military will eventually be forced out of the country: These are a few of the highlights from RT’s exclusive interview with President Bashar Assad. Speaking with RT’s Murad Gazdiev in Damascus, Assad commented on a range of topics, from the threat of direct conflict between the US and Russia, to why he doesn’ [...]
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Exposed: ‘Full Range of Collusion’ Between Big Oil and TTIP Trade Reps
Amid warnings that the proposed TransAtlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) could undermine global attempts to rein in runaway climate change, new documents reveal that EU trade officials gave U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil access to confidential negotiating strategies considered too sensitive to be released to the European public. [...]
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Chancellor Who Refused to Follow US Into Iraq Says Berlin Can’t Let Itself Be Pulled Into Iran Folly
Earlier, key European powers Germany, France and the UK appeared to snub Washington’s requests for them to join a US-led mission against “Iranian aggression” in the Persian Gulf, with the three countries signaling support for a European-led security effort to “protect” commercial vessels operating in the region instead. [...]
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