Since the anti-war protests on Vietnam, the U.S. government has made “perception management” of the American people a high priority, feeding them a steady diet of propaganda about foreign crises, even getting “peace groups” to buy into “pro-democracy” wars, write Margaret Sarfehjooy and Coleen Rowley. “War is peace” double-speak has become commonplace these days. And, the more a [...]

The pinnacle of political power is slowly changing its homestead, moving eastwards to the Pacific, with the region becoming more and more vital within global matters; and U.S. is pushing itself actively into the regional scene, spurring rising rivalry between America and China. What future holds for the Pacific region? What is at stake between Washington and Beijing? And how’s the political g [...]

MasterCard and Visa have suspended service for Russian banks in Crimea, saying the decision complies with US sanctions. "According to the US sanctions imposed against Crimea on December 19, 2014, Visa currently cannot provide services and offer their products in the Crimea. This means that we can no longer issue or accept bank cards in Crimea, and service them in ATMs," the company has confirme [...]

Russia will supply coal and electricity to Ukraine without prepayment, Vladimir Putin's spokesman said. Ukraine is trying to cope with energy problems amid an ongoing crisis in the industrial east. This proves the president’s political goodwill and support, “particularly before New Year,” said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday, as quoted by TASS. [...]

As the U.S. Congress votes for a military confrontation with Russia over Ukraine and even “liberal” commentators cheer the economic pain being inflicted by U.S. policies, it is worth recalling how big-power arrogance sparked the conflagration called World War I and how it could start World War III, writes Greg Maybury. At this point in our history – and especially at this time of the year [...]

Russia has adopted an updated version of its military doctrine, which reflects the emergence of new threats against its national security. NATO military buildup and American Prompt Global Strike concept are listed among them. The new doctrine was approved on Friday by President Vladimir Putin. Its core remains unchanged from the previous version. The Russian military remains a defensive tool wh [...]

The number one crude oil exporter, Saudi Arabia, has projected a $39 billion deficit in 2015. The impact of lower oil prices, along with the decision not to cut production, is putting pressure on the country’s finances. The figure was part of the endorsed 2015 budget, which was made public in a statement read out on state-run television on Thursday. [...]

The Russian Lower House speaker wants to instigate an international investigation into the 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the US military - a possible crime against humanity with no statute of limitation. “Next year we will have the 70th anniversary of the Nuremberg Trial and also the same anniversary of the first and only nuclear bombings of two civilian cities – Hiroshi [...]

A blogger gave a homeless guy $100 – and filmed an unexpected twist, as the man decided to help others with the money. The video went viral, and a crowdfunding campaign to get the homeless man back on his feet has raised over $94k and counting. The experiment began with Los Angeles-based video blogger Josh Paler Lin giving a homeless man named Thomas $100 with no strings attached. [...]

Over 100 descendants of the Russian nobility residing outside the country have addressed European nations with a call to stop irrationally alienating Russia and give an unbiased appraisal to the current Ukrainian crisis. The open letter written by Prince Dmitry [...]

Pope Francis wished courage and warmth for the world in his Christmas Eve mass homily, as God is stronger than "darkness and corruption." He also made a phone call to Iraqi refugees who fled ISIS violence, saying that they are "like Jesus" on this night. “Through the course of history, the light that shatters the darkness reveals to us that God is Father and that his patient fidelity is stron [...]

China's foreign minister has pledged support to Russia as it faces an economic downturn due to sanctions and a drop in oil prices. Boosting trade in yuan is a solution proposed by Beijing's commerce minister. “Russia has the capability and the wisdom to overcome the existing hardship in the economic situation," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told journalists, China Daily reported Monday. [...]

Russia's Investigative Committee has confirmed the claims by a Ukrainian, who said he witnessed the deployment of a Ukrainian warplane armed with air-to-air missiles on the day the Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot down. [...]

A former French airline CEO Marc Dugain claims that the US may have shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and then covered it up, adding to a rash of conflicting theories about the missing plane. In a six-page article published by French weekly Paris Match, Dugain claims that the Boeing 777 may have got into trouble and as it was approaching the US military base on the British territory of [...]

Two NYPD officers have been shot by a suspect who ambushed their patrol car "execution style" in Brooklyn. The perpetrator was chased by police and reportedly died of a self-inflicted gun wound. According to AP sources, both officers have succumbed to gunshot wounds. Earlier reports suggested that one was still alive butin critical condition in hospital. [...]

Among the six European states participating in the poll questioning EU membership, the British appeared most certain of all that they want to leave the union with only 37 percent against breaking ties. The French OpinionWay poll showed that 42 percent of British respondents want to leave the EU, while 37 percent are for staying in the union and the rest 21 percent are not sure of the answer, Le [...]

Russia is going to maintain its security "consistently and rigorously," President Vladimir Putin has said. And despite NATO's military buildup close to Russian borders, the national military doctrine will remain solely defensive, he said. The Russian president made the comments in a speech at the Ministry of Defense meeting at the newly established National Defense Control Center in Moscow. [...]

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said Dick Cheney is able to brag about the success of torture on weekend news shows because the Obama administration has decided to shield torturers rather than prosecute them. In a wide ranging interview about the CIA torture report, prospects for the 2016 presidential race, US-Cuba relations and the Sony hack, Greenwald told HuffPost Live that the discussion about t [...]

The US is behind the current drop in oil prices as it is aiming to undermine the economies of large petroleum producers Russia and Venezuela, Bolivian President Evo Morales told RT. In his interview with RT’s Spanish-language channel, Morales said that it’s was “a pity” that Washington remains on a “wrong course” by continuing to use sanctions against its political rivals. [...]