The European Union should set up a system that would allow Brussels to be independent in its financial operations from Washington, according to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. It is indispensable that we strengthen European autonomy by creating payment channels that are independent of the United States, a European Monetary Fund and an independent SWIFT system,” [...]

Nearly 18 months after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine, one of the troubling mysteries is why the U.S. government – after rushing to blame Russia and ethnic Russian rebels – then went silent, effectively obstructing the investigation into 298 deaths, writes Robert Parry. As the whodunit mystery surrounding the shoot-down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 nears the 1½-ye [...]

We explore the recent historic developments in the Middle East in great detail in this interesting and thorough video, as Saudi Arabia and Turkey impose oil sanctions on Israel. This abrupt change in the course of events draws attention to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and illustrates a major change in the dynamics of the region. While keeping an eye on the humanitarian component of thi [...]

An Austrian court has sided with Russia’s state-backed vodka maker in the battle over the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya brands, ordering the Dutch-based Spirits International B.V to pay compensation for using them illegally. Stolichnaya vodka has long been one of the world’s most recognizable brands associated with Russia. [...]

The idea of a single-payer healthcare system has entered the presidential debates—and that's a very good thing, a doctors group says, as it is "only equitable, financially responsible and humane cure for our healthcare ills." [...]

Benjamin Netanyahu has made possibly his most insane speech ever, since even the rule of law now no longer matters to him. Right, so earlier this evening I put out a video where the expectation is that Israel will lose their case against South Africa in The Hague and provisional orders will be granted by the court to end the ceasefire amongst other things and I talked about how the attack on Yemen [...]

ST.PETERSBURG Israel is unlikely to freely use Syrian airspace in the wake of the crash of a Russian Il-20 military aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, Yakov Kedmi, a former high-ranking Israeli intelligence official, told Sputnik. "There was an agreement between Israel and Russia that the actions of Israel in Syria's airspace would not endanger lives of Russian troops. [...]

Former senator and secretary of state Hillary Clinton is the only candidate for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination who supported the invasion of Iraq. That war not only resulted in 4,500 American soldiers being killed and thousands more permanently disabled, but also hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths, the destabilization of the region with the rise of the Islamic State and other ex [...]

#1 lie: If Russia takes Ukraine, we’ll be next. There is zero evidence for this lie, and it is a lie that is even more outlandish than the lie that if Vietnam falls to the communists, that will be just the first “domino” and all the others will fall and the Soviet Union and/or communist China will take over the world. [...]

The German government is to resume arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies despite a domestic agreement not to deliver weapons to countries involved in the bloody Yemen conflict, local media report. [...]

Western media coverage does not accurately reflect what is happening on the Syrian battlefield, US journalist Mike Whitney wrote for the CounterPunch magazine: Damascus-led forces, assisted by Russian warplanes, have turned the tide of war and are on the way to flush Islamic radicals out of the country. Unlike America's military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq, this process will not be a pro [...]

British journalist Richard Medhurst reports on the Iranian response to Israel's bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1. This violation of the Vienna Convention (1961 and 1963) went unanswered until today on April 14 The world has watched anxiously in anticipation of Iran's response. Now Iran fires a volley of drones and missiles at Israel, accompanied by an orchestra of similar cali [...]

On the heels of an Israeli air raid on Syria, which saw the downing of a Russian plane, Moscow will now deliver S-300 anti-aircraft systems to Damascus. Here’s a quick guide to the sophisticated weapon and its capabilities. The Syrian Army has long sought to procure the S-300 from Russia, but talks which began in mid-2000 were interrupted by the civil war in 2011. [...]

Buildings are riddled with bullet holes, the sound of explosions can be heard day and night, and many residents have already packed up their belongings and fled. It sounds like war-torn Syria, but the actual location is a surprise: inside the supposedly secure borders of Turkey. [...]

Recent provocations in the South China Sea follow rising tensions between the US and China, but with rivalry expanding into the economic and political spheres, it seems Beijing is now encroaching on Russia's top-villain status. [...]

Prominent US linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky has lashed out at Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who has accused him of being “dark” and having “mentality of colonialism” for signing an open letter protesting Ankara’s military op against the Kurds. [...]

As the scandals and legal trials dogging Israel’s first family continue unabated, the prime minister’s wife, Sara Netanyahu, began her own trial on Sunday for fraud and breach of trust. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, on Sunday showed up in court to begin her trial for fraud and breach of trust, in a continuing saga of the multiple scandals involving her husba [...]

China has signed a contract to buy 24 Sukhoi Su-35 multipurpose fighter jets from Russia, becoming the first foreign buyer of the advanced warplane, according to manufacturer Rostec. The deal, estimated to be worth $2 billion, is a significant boost to Russia’s arms exports. [...]

The sell-off wave that has hit US equities this week is also affecting the world’s other economies, veteran trader Jim Rogers has told RT. The investor is predicting a ‘very bad’ bear market ahead. America is [the] largest debtor nation in the history of the world and the largest economy in the world. [...]