Human rights groups have condemned Saudi Arabia after the beheading of five foreigners this week. Experts warn 2015 will mark a dramatic increase in public executions, as 80 people have already been killed, compared to 88 in the whole of 2014. [...]

Every week Max Keiser looks at all the scandal behind the financial news headlines. In this special episode of the Keiser Report from Chicago, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the “great manufacturing meltdown” in Chicago. In the second half, Max is joined by Mike ‘Mish’ Shedlock of globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com to discuss Chicago’s junk debt situation. They also explore the e [...]

The Greek parliament has voted in favor of a bill enacting the reforms required by its European creditors as part of a new bailout plan. This paves the way for the controversial 85-billion-euro bailout deal defended by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. An overwhelming majority of Greek MPs voted in favor of the reform package, with 229 voting ‘Yes,’ 64 voting ‘No’ and 6 abstaining. [...]

For the so-called 'radical leftist' from Greece is only the latest in a long line of ‘radicals’ and 'leftists' to betray the people who had voted for them and cave into the demands of imperialist international finance capital. The only surprising thing about Alexis Tsipras' capitulation to the troika is that anyone should be surprised by it. [...]

European leaders know that the US wants to get them to spend money on military equipment which will be purchased from the US, says Brian Becker of the anti-war Answer Coalition. But Europe knows the dangers from the experience of two world wars, he added. Several senior American officials say Russia is the greatest threat to their country's national security. [...]

Russian human rights groups will soon file about 17,000 lawsuits from Ukrainian citizens in the European court. They seek compensation of about $5.6 billion over numerous rights violations committed by pro-Kiev military during the conflict in Donbass. The court action is coordinated by the Russian Public Chamber. [...]

The European Commission should have adjusted the economic activity of Greece before the crisis, Russian President Putin has said, adding that the EU shouldn't have issued such high bonuses and loans to the debt ridden country. “Of course, all the blame can be shifted to the Greeks. But if there were violations in their [Greece] activity, where was the European Commission? [...]

In an impassioned speech, the un-resigned UKIP leader Nigel Farage told Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to take "courage" and quit the euro after the latest emergency bailout talks broke down. Farage said it was time to “get back control of your country,” adding the banks would “give you no more.” [...]

European countries should free themselves from US political dominance and the dictates of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Bolivian President Evo Morales told RT. In his interview with RT’s Spanish-language channel in Brussels, Morales said he is “very sorry that, instead of freeing themselves from the shackles of the North American Empire, some countries continue to live in its submi [...]

The OSCE has warned that a growing presence of heavy weaponry on the government controlled side of Donbass territory has put Ukrainian security forces in violation of the terms of the demarcation line, according to OSCE Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug. “We can highlight that the security situation has gotten worse in the Donbass over the past few weeks,” Hug said at a briefing in Mariupo [...]

The number of Americans "extremely proud" to be citizens of the US continues to fall, with a new Gallup poll revealing a three percent drop from the previous year. Of those surveyed, 54 per cent said they’re “extremely proud” to be Americans. In 2013 and 2014 that figure stood at 57. [...]

Over 260,000 Austrians have signed a petition calling for the EU exit for the country, and now the Austrian parliament must discuss a referendum on the issue. Overall, the 261,159 people who signed the petition represent 4.12 percent of the electorate. The petition was most popular in the regions of Lower Austria (where 5.18 percent of potential voters signed it) and in Carinthia (4.85 percent) [...]

WikiLeaks has published secret "core text" related to the controversial trade agreement currently being negotiated behind closed doors between the US, EU and 23 other countries. Big corporations look to be the biggest winners in the deal. Leaked documents of TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) negotiations reveal that the treaty is looking to undermine “governments involved in the treaty” by [...]

Chancellor Angela Merkel was not the only NSA target in the German government, as WikiLeaks has released a new tranche of documents containing a list of the phone numbers of German ministers and officials whose privacy was breached by the US spy agency. Sixty-nine high-ranking members of the German government, including the economy and finance ministers, as well as Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabrie [...]

The head of the State Duma"s Foreign Relations Committee has proposed reciprocating Canada's latest anti-Russian move by introducing sanctions similar to embargo of agricultural products from EU introduced about a year ago. “We should not pretend that nothing is happening and we should develop a complex of reciprocal measures aimed at Canada,” MP Aleksey Pushkov (United Russia) stated at Tu [...]

As ISIS and ISIS-style terror erupts across the globe, Western governments are busy making plans to establish a rapid reaction force in Eastern Europe to ‘contain Russia’, thus qualifying them for an annual ‘you couldn’t make it up’ award. It calls to mind one of Britain’s worst military defeats, suffered at the hands of the Japanese, when 100,000 troops and sailors were marched int [...]

The Catholic Church has signed its first treaty with Palestine, making official its de facto recognition of the state. Israel reiterated that it regretted the decision. The treaty first announced in May concerns the activities of the Church in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. [...]

The US can't quit buying Russian RD-180 rocket engines for heavy lifting until it produces an engine with similar capabilities, chief of the US Space Command said. This follows frantic calls by Republican Senator John McCain to terminate the contract. “Why in the world would anyone think we would want to continue dependency on Russian rocket engines, which traces up to the corrupt mafia that [...]

As an equal member of the EU, Greece does not need to ask permissions from anyone to let the Greek people speak and have their voices heard, PM Tsipras told his parliament, promising that the state's sovereignty and future will be decided via referendum. Referendums have been used all across Europe as a way for people to directly express their will and have their voices heard, and Greece is ful [...]

The number of government troops deployed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine has reached 60,000 troops, according to President Petro Poroshenko. The statement comes as the total of Ukrainian refugees has exceeded 900,000 people, according to UN. "We are doing our best to ensure the security of our state. We have brought the number of our armed forces in the ATO zone to 60,000 servicemen today. [...]

The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) continues to receive the highest levels of support in Switzerland, according to the latest survey released ahead of autumn elections. The party is popular for its immigration restriction proposals. The SVP is the most widely-backed political force in Switzerland, with the support of over 26 percent of the voters, a survey conducted by the gfs.bern resea [...]

The latest US narrative on Russia is straight from the plot of a Hollywood fantasy: US superheroes versus a Russian villain. Sadly for the Baltic States, they are being used by Uncle Sam as bait. Here's a starter for ten question: Russia’s reunification with Crimea last year was prompted by which of the following… [...]