US forces that crossed into Iraq after pulling out from Syria can only use its territory for transit and do not have permission to stay, the Iraqi military said on Tuesday. Hundreds of military vehicles carrying American troops crossed into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq in a long convoy on Monday. [...]

A new survey from consultancy McKinsey & Co has found that a majority of banks globally may not be economically viable because their returns on equity aren’t keeping pace with costs. The study looked at 1,000 banks in developed and emerging countries and found that just over a third had made a return on capital of just 1.6 percent over the past three years. This compares to returns of j [...]

US President Donald Trump has authorized $4.5 million in aid to the so-called Syrian Civil Defense (SCD), aka “White Helmets,” calling their work “important and highly valued.” The group’s critics point to its terrorist ties. “Over the course of the 8-year conflict in Syria, the SCD has rescued more than 115,000 people, including many ethnic and religious minorities,” the White House [...]

Russia defends Iran, backs Bashar Assad in Syria and criticizes Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to Riyadh would seem a risky balancing act – but is instead a pragmatic move rooted in mutual interest. Putin arrives in Saudi Arabia on Monday, his second visit to the country after his 2007 trip. [...]

The timing is not merely coincidental. The shambolic policymaking of the Trump administration has thrown the Middle East into further chaos, while countries are increasingly viewing Russia as a source of stability. The high respect afforded to Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit this week to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates speaks of a new geopolitical reality in the region. [...]

Earlier, two-time Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton intimated that 2020 Democratic contender Tulsi Gabbard and former Green Party candidate Jill Stein were “Russian assets.” [...]

The statement comes in response to the imposition of tariffs by the United States on a record $7.5 billion worth of EU goods, after the WTO ruled that EU nations gave illegal state aid to Airbus. [...]

2020 candidate Tulsi Gabbard is trending on Twitter, after the Hawaiian lawmaker scorched Hillary Clinton with a devastating put-down. Nevertheless, Hillary fans still maintain Tulsi’s popularity is the work of ‘Russian bots’. Gabbard unloaded on Clinton on Friday, after the failed 2016 presidential contender suggested that “the Russians” were “grooming” her to run as a third-party c [...]

Further turning away from the greenback, Russia is eyeing the yuan and the euro as currencies for Eurobonds next year, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has said on the sidelines of an IMF and World Bank meeting. Answering journalists’ questions about the impact of US sanctions on the Russian sovereign debt market, Siluanov said that Moscow will consider the issue as it has been creating t [...]

President Trump’s decision to pull troops out of northern Syria sent the mainstream media into a full-blown meltdown, Redacted Tonight’s Lee Camp said, slamming their hawkish coverage as mindless and deceitful. [...]

After the recent Israeli attacks against Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, the Middle East has found itself in the midst of undeclared war. Almost everyone in Lebanon appears to agree. “This time Israel went too far. In just two days, it bombed three countries,” I am told by a local UN staffer based in Beirut. [...]

The United States intends to deprive Russia of its right to the Northern Sea Route (NSR) which lies in Arctic waters and within Russia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. That’s according to media reports, saying Washington believes that the NSR should be open to the entire world community, and not only to Russia. [...]

Accusing Turkey of endangering civilians and threatening peace and security with its Syrian operation, US President Donald Trump has announced upcoming tariffs and sanctions against Turkish officials and economy. [...]

A casual aerobatics flyover, another butchered cover of the Russian anthem and faux Russian road police – the United Arab Emirates have gone royally over-the-top to make Russian President Vladimir Putin feel comfortable. [...]

An unlikely road meeting of US and Syrian troops was captured in northern Syria as the American vehicles were retreating from the Kurdish-held town of Kobani, while the Syrians rushed to protect it from the Turkish-led offensive. Getting American and Syrian government forces into a single image is quite a difficult task despite the protracted – and illegal – US military presence in the war-tor [...]

An absolutely fascinating phenomenon accompanying the Turkish invasion of Syria has been watching the reaction of western journalists who once shilled for ‘moderate rebels’ now falling into the trap of having to condemn them. [...]

While studying the possible cause of a dangerous infection, peri-implantitis, scientists at the Siberian Federal University (SibFU) and the Institute of Medical Problems of the North suggested that it could be traces of foreign inorganic substances on the surface of new sterile dental implants. [...]

Turkey’s operation in northeast Syria has “undermined” the US-led campaign against Islamic State terrorists, the Pentagon has claimed, warning that Washington will be “pressing” their NATO allies to sanction Ankara. [...]

Russia agreed to look into the September aerial attack on the Saudi Aramco oil facilities and will condemn whoever was behind it, but will not take sides in the feud between Riyadh and Tehran, President Vladimir Putin says. [...]

Millions of Americans receive a surprise medical bill every year, bankrupting families and raising health care costs for everyone. RT’s Keiser Report says the reality of America where people live paycheck to paycheck is “legalized plunder.” The health industry is one of the largest employers in the entire nation, Stacy Herbert says, explaining that around 19 percent of the US GDP is [...]

The Russian-built Pantsir S-1 system (NATO designation, SA-22 Greyhound) is a daunting combination of radar, cannons, and missiles. It can detect and take out any target, even while on the move. Armed with 12 surface-to-air guided missiles and two dual 30mm guns, the Pantsir can strike enemies both in the air and on the ground, and it can take them both out simultaneously. Its missiles are fast [...]

The US-made fifth-generation F-35 warplane reportedly continues to face a raft of mechanical issues, although it has been developed for several decades with a budget of over $1 trillion. The German radar-maker Hensoldt has claimed that it managed to track two US stealth fighter jets F-35 from a pony farm for almost 100 miles (about 150 kilometres) during an air show, the website C4ISRNet reports. [...]