The World Bank recently said the end of U.S. economic hegemony was coming before 2015 arrives. But we've heard this story before. Don't believe the hype about China. Last time I looked (yesterday), the U.S. economy in 2013 was three times larger than the Chinese (in real 2005 dollars, according to the magnificent historical data set of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Servi [...]

A historic, long-term deal for the delivery of Russian gas to China that has been 10 years in the making is 98 percent ready, Russia'€™s Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky has said. All that's needed are the two countries'€™ signatures, he added. [...]

While Cliven Bundy supporters praised the armed individuals who came to the defense of the Nevada rancher in his land rights dispute with the federal government, the FBI is now investigating them for possible criminal offenses. The armed standoff between the Bureau of Land Management and Bundy – who has refused to pay $1 million in animal grazing fees the government claims he’s owned since the [...]

Criminal prosecution is likely to be expanded on Americans involved in recruiting and supervising activities of German officials spying for the US intelligence, Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas told Welt am Sonntag. If investigators find a body of evidence that alleged double agents in Germany’s federal intelligence service and Defense Ministry have been spying to the benefit of American in [...]

Five people have been killed in a gunfight in Slavyansk, a city in eastern Ukraine held by anti-government protesters. The fatalities include three protesters and two attackers, who are believed to be from the Right Sector paramilitary. The deaths came after a night attack on a protester checkpoint on the outskirts of the city. [...]

With the government in Kiev lacking legitimacy and meaningful political resources, Washington and Brussels face a public relations disaster of epic proportions. Meanwhile, Russia watches from the sidelines. How are things playing out in Ukraine right now? CrossTalking with Mitch Feierstein, Andrew Korybko and Gilbert Mercier. [...]

The Kiev junta is the product of West regime change in Ukraine, an analyst says. A political analyst says the West is covering up a massacre in the Ukrainian city of Odessa that was carried out by neo-Nazis receiving orders from certain people in power. [...]

Reports from Slavyansk say that the army troops sent to the eastern Ukrainian city for an "anti-terrorist operation" are leaving en masse. Some troops are openly voicing support for the eastern Ukrainians, while others are speaking out against a war. Click Here for full story and Image Credits! [...]

The rule of law in Europe is going through its most severe crisis since the Cold War, a report by the continent'€™s top human rights and democracy watchdog warns. Most of the European countries are facing “very worrying” challenges to human rights, democracies and the rule of law, Thorbjorn Jagland, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, wrote in the report. [...]

The sponsors of a bill to promote U.S. energy conservation built it to pass in a Congress where almost nothing passes. After businesses complained, the authors deleted mandates for tougher building-efficiency standards. Then they cut provisions that would have increased the U.S. deficit. [...]

Russia, the US, the EU and Ukraine have adopted a joint document on the de-escalation of the Ukraine crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, after talks in Geneva. It calls for all illegal armed groups to lay down arms and a wide amnesty. [...]

Fracking requires twice or three times as many truck trips per well as older oil and gas extraction techniques. That could be reason for drilling areas in US witnessing a significant spike in traffic fatalities, new analysis suggests. [...]

President Vladimir Putin says it was "€œstrange"€ to learn of the US reaction on a Russian letter to the leaders of EU'€™s top gas-consuming nations, as it was in no way designed for Washington'€™s eyes. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki has accused Russia of reneging on an agreement that offered reduced gas prices to Kiev and using “energy as a tool of coercion against Ukraine. [...]

A California-based surveillance vendor that sells access to license plate databases and the devices that indiscriminately collect that information has been reportedly cashing checks from the Internal Revenue Service and other federal offices. [...]

Ukraine is a foot in the door to civil war, ousted President Viktor Yanukovich said in his address from Rostov-on-Don, where he has been residing for over a month after fleeing Kiev amid protests. “Blood was spilt today,” Yankovich told journalists referring to the events in the eastern city of Slavyansk. [...]

People in eastern Ukraine fear the worst is yet to come after Kiev authorities launched a military operation in eastern regions of the country. Residents in the town of Izyum in the Kharkov region share their worries with RT. “The first military contingent began arriving at the start of this week,” Elena, a local resident from Izyum, told RT. [...]

About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German media reports. [...]

Vermont will become the first state to enact a law requiring labels on foods with genetically modified ingredients after the governor signed the bill into law on Thursday afternoon. The bill will go into effect in July 2016. "I am proud of Vermont for being the first state in the nation to ensure that Vermonters will know what is in their food. [...]

Kiev'€™s forces are using heavy weaponry and tanks in the eastern city of Mariupol to storm the local Interior Ministry building, where police have barricaded inside. After residents began flocking to the scene, Kiev fighters opened fire on civilians. [...]

The Russian Foreign Minister says the US should take responsibility for those whom they put in power instead issuing ultimatums to Moscow. "Before giving us ultimatums, demanding that we fulfill demands within two or three days with the threat of sanctions, we would urgently call on our American partners to fully accept responsibility for those who they brought to power,” said Lavrov during a pr [...]

Vermont lawmakers have passed legislation that requires food made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, to be labeled as such. The law, the first of its kind in the US, must now get approval from Gov. Peter Shumlin, who has supported the bill. [...]

NSA whistleblower praises Guardian and Washington Post after pair share Pulitzer prize for public service. The former NSA contractor Edward Snowden issued a statement on Monday in response to the decision by the Pulitzer prize committee to reward the Guardian and the Washington Post with its top 2014 award. It reads, in full: [...]