IDF: 'We have deployed additional forces to the Golan Heights and will continue to take action to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.' The post IDF assists UN troops on Israel-Syria border as rebels advance appeared first on World Israel News.

IDF: 'We have deployed additional forces to the Golan Heights and will continue to take action to protect the State of Israel and its citizens.' The post IDF assists UN troops on Israel-Syria border as rebels advance appeared first on World Israel News.

Two parents from Indiana are currently in custody following the tragic death of their toddler, who was found in a closet heated by a space heater in late November, as reported by local law enforcement. The parents, Sintia Perez, 21, and Jace Hirschy, 23, are each facing charges of neglect resulting in death and two counts of neglect of a dependent. The unfortunate incident took place between the evening of November 26 and the afternoon ... Read more

The IDF launched its offensive into southern Lebanon with precision raids, dismantling terror infrastructure and eliminating nearly the entire Hezbollah leadership chain. The post WATCH: A recap of IDF operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon appeared first on World Israel News.

The IDF launched its offensive into southern Lebanon with precision raids, dismantling terror infrastructure and eliminating nearly the entire Hezbollah leadership chain. The post WATCH: A recap of IDF operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon appeared first on World Israel News.

After the election, Trump’s share of the vote dropped from 40% to 38%, a slight decline that Democrats and the media are using to argue he didn’t win the popular vote and lacks a mandate. The post How California stole Trump’s popular vote majority appeared first on World Israel News.

After the election, Trump’s share of the vote dropped from 40% to 38%, a slight decline that Democrats and the media are using to argue he didn’t win the popular vote and lacks a mandate. The post How California stole Trump’s popular vote majority appeared first on World Israel News.

About 60 firefighters with 17 fire trucks reportedly responded to the blaze. The post Australian PM blames antisemitism for arson attack on Melbourne synagogue, manhunt underway for suspects appeared first on World Israel News.

About 60 firefighters with 17 fire trucks reportedly responded to the blaze. The post Australian PM blames antisemitism for arson attack on Melbourne synagogue, manhunt underway for suspects appeared first on World Israel News.

Lebanese filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury stated that Israel is not an enemy, dismissed the Palestinian cause as unjust, and criticized Lebanon’s failure to uphold its commitments under UN Resolution 1701. The post WATCH: Lebanese filmmaker says Israel is not the enemy appeared first on World Israel News.

Lebanese filmmaker Youssef El-Khoury stated that Israel is not an enemy, dismissed the Palestinian cause as unjust, and criticized Lebanon’s failure to uphold its commitments under UN Resolution 1701. The post WATCH: Lebanese filmmaker says Israel is not the enemy appeared first on World Israel News.

As the days and weeks pass, and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration draws nearer, Israel’s ruling class is becoming desperate to oust Netanyahu from power. The post A coup attempt in the shadow of Oct. 7 – analysis appeared first on World Israel News.

As the days and weeks pass, and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration draws nearer, Israel’s ruling class is becoming desperate to oust Netanyahu from power. The post A coup attempt in the shadow of Oct. 7 – analysis appeared first on World Israel News.

The president-elect vowed to punish colleges and universities that tolerated not just the sort of antisemitism that went on at so many schools. The post America’s future depends on Trump’s promise to punish woke universities appeared first on World Israel News.

The president-elect vowed to punish colleges and universities that tolerated not just the sort of antisemitism that went on at so many schools. The post America’s future depends on Trump’s promise to punish woke universities appeared first on World Israel News.

In the propaganda video, Matan Zangauker addresses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and criticizes the government’s recently announced reward strategy for returning hostages safely from Gaza. The post WATCH: Hamas releases video of Israeli hostage held in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

In the propaganda video, Matan Zangauker addresses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and criticizes the government’s recently announced reward strategy for returning hostages safely from Gaza. The post WATCH: Hamas releases video of Israeli hostage held in Gaza appeared first on World Israel News.

Una settimana dopo aver graziato due tacchini nel giorno del Ringraziamento, il presidente Biden ha graziato suo figlio Hunter.  Hunter Biden è stato condannato per aver mentito sull’uso di droghe in un modulo federale per l’acquisto di armi nel 2018., … The post Incendiari all’opera dall’Europa al Medioriente appeared first on Global Research.

Os EUA continuam a pressionar a Ucrânia para aumentar o número de tropas no campo de batalha. Recentemente, o chefe da diplomacia norte-americana afirmou que é necessário recrutar mais soldados para as linhas da frente, independentemente da quantidade de armas, … The post Razão pela qual Blinken quer que ucranianos de 18 anos lutem contra a Rússia. appeared first on Global Research.

A young woman from Iowa, aged 21, is facing charges of child endangerment leading to death following the tragic drowning of her toddler son in a bathtub. Kayla Bevar was taken into custody on December 4th, subsequent to an inquiry into the death of her 20-month-old son. The West Des Moines Police Department reported that emergency services were dispatched to Bevar’s residence around 7 p.m. on October 31st, following a distress call from the mother. ... Read more

Where did Nazi Germany get its oil from? This outstanding article by Indrajit Samarajiva describes the historical role of Field Marshal Zhukov in leading the Red Army against Nazi Germany’s Invasion of the Soviet Union: “For most of the war, … The post World War II and the Eastern Front. “Zhukov’s Revenge”. Who Defeated Nazi Germany in 1945? appeared first on Global Research.

  “Many, many Jews in Canada oppose what Israel is doing! Never again stands for everyone, I learned! Everyone! …I never imagined a genocide like this would happen by Jewish people in what they call a Jewish State!…We want … The post Canadian and Jewish Voices Say No To Financing and Supporting Crimes Fought in Their Name appeared first on Global Research.

In late September of this year, the veteran conservative politician Ishiba Shigeru took the reins of government in Japan. It followed his victory in the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) contest for party president, which made him ipso facto Prime Minister. A month later, Ishiba’s team went to the polls for national elections. The LDP and

The contradictions at the heart of the State of Israel have had little impact on its success. This can be seen in Israel’s relationship with Africa. Many African states had backed Israel after 1948 in what they saw as a noble anti-colonial struggle. They related to its cause. One of the least-known aspects of this

Americans are not happy with the US health care system. For the first time in two decades, a majority of Americans rate US health care as substandard, including a new high calling it “poor.” Nearly three-quarters say it’s failing to meet their needs, and about half find it difficult to afford their medical bills. A

The new television series Say Nothing dramatizes one of the most contentious episodes in modern Irish history. In 1972, members of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) abducted Jean McConville, a mother of ten children in Belfast who they accused of working as an informer for the British Army. They killed McConville and buried her body

In a tragic incident that occurred in April, 14-year-old middle school student Javario Buie was fatally shot, leaving his family and community in shock. Known for his vibrant smile and uplifting spirit, Javario’s untimely death has left a void in the lives of those who knew him. His mother, still struggling to come to terms with the loss, describes her existence since his passing as a living nightmare, as she tirelessly seeks justice for her ... Read more

Keith Eric Agee, a 21-year-old man, is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his former girlfriend, Brooklyn Taylor Sims. Agee was convicted based on the belief that Sims had infected him with a sexually transmitted disease, a claim that was later refuted by prosecutors during the trial. The arrest of Agee, which occurred last year, was recorded on bodycam footage. Sheila Agee, Keith’s 51-year-old mother, is also implicated in the crime. She ... Read more

"Theater Iran Near Term" (TIRANNT) has identified several thousand targets inside Iran as part of a "Shock and Awe" Blitzkrieg, which is now in its final planning stages. The post “Theater Iran Near Term” (TIRANNT). The Ongoing Planning of War against Iran appeared first on Global Research.

Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was tragically killed in a shooting incident outside a Midtown hotel. The unidentified assailant, who is still at large, may have left a puzzling message on the ammunition used in the attack, according to sources within law enforcement. The New York Police Department (NYPD) is currently investigating the potential message, which appears to include the words “deny,” “depose,” and “defend,” inscribed on live rounds and spent casings left at ... Read more

A realidade dos soldados ucranianos já não pode ser escondida e é até admitida pelos principais aliados do regime de Kiev. Numa declaração recente, um alto funcionário polaco deixou claro que as tropas ucranianas estão cansadas e completamente incapazes de … The post Fadiga da guerra piora entre tropas ucranianas. appeared first on Global Research.

Our thanks to Lux Media for this production To contribute to Lux Media click here and then Click: Faire un don To Contribute to Global Research Click here,  First published on December 6,  2024 We are featuring this video interview. … The post Video: Pentagon “War Games”. Ruebek and Churya Attack America appeared first on Global Research.

The announcement comes after the nation and three Southeast Asian neighbors were anointed BRICS “partner countries.”

The year 2024 has already made BRICS history with the admission of new members. It seems that further expansion is only a matter of time. This change in membership numbers has effectively overshadowed the substantive agenda of Russia’s presidency at the media and socio-political levels

A proposed BRICS currency could reshape global financial markets and reduce dependence on the dollar. But there are massive challenges …

Kabir “Kabeezy” Singh, a comedian who gained fame as a semifinalist on the popular television show “America’s Got Talent,” has passed away at the age of 39. Singh’s fiancée confirmed his death, which occurred on Wednesday, December 4. Although the exact cause of death has not been officially disclosed, it has been suggested that Singh had been dealing with health issues. An ongoing investigation is underway, and a toxicology report is expected soon. However, initial ... Read more

Donald Trump was elected for a second term as president by millions of working-class voters who believe the economy no longer works for them. These voters were largely motivated by standard-of-living issues like inflation, wage growth, and affordable housing. Many of these votes were seemingly won by scapegoating immigrants as a major cause of the

The German leader seems absolutely desperate due to recent escalation between Moscow and the West.

The genius of Russian military specialists becomes all the more apparent when one realizes that the "Zircon" was made to fit not just into the previously mentioned 3S14 VLS, but also the K300P. Back in 2023, along with my KRN colleagues, I had the chance to analyze the size of the P-800 "Oniks" supersonic cruise missile and determined that these missiles fit into identical launchers, both on naval vessels and land-based platforms.

The quickly aborted martial law declaration in South Korea, declared by a mendacious president who did not know his own people, shows how a free nation guards its liberties. South Korea’s already highly unpopular and scandal-plagued president, afraid for his political future, declared martial law, hyperbolically claiming his political opposition aligned with North Korea, without evidence. He also surrounded the parliamentary building with troops, which South Korean law forbids. The parliament, some of whose members surmounted the military cordon by climbing through windows, quickly and unanimously rejected martial law, which they can legally override by majority vote. The president surrendered to both law and political reality by rescinding martial law. Thousands of highly organized demonstrators had already assembled, challenging the troops, many of whom responded passively, likely unwilling to impose what they knew to be wrong and illegal. Demonstrators also helped parliamentarians get to their seats and retake the republic from the feckless president. Now that president faces impeachment and, hopefully, removal from office. There is no greater betrayal of a democratic and lawful republic than for its chief magistrate to attempt a coup d’etat. South Korea’s president, a prosecutor by profession, had never held public office before and clearly is not just lawless but politically clueless. He had no support in parliament, little public backing, and the military, if pressed, likely would have sided ultimately with law and public opinion. South Korea has plenty of history with repression. Japan brutally colonized it. After World War II it resisted North Korean aggression while also suffering under its own dictatorships. With U.S. encouragement, South Korea finally became democratic in the 1980s, subsequently enjoying both prosperity and stability. Its presidents have continuously faltered, but South Korea’s constitution and democratic process have robustly endured across forty years. Any South Koreans who might be curious about or tempted by alternatives to democracy need only look across the Demilitarized Zone, where tyranny is unalloyed. The attempted coup in South Korea is shocking in a seemingly stable republic. But it is parcel to a global postliberal tide against constitutional democracy, where laws and not persons rule. We can hope that this shock, with the robust near unanimity of the South Korean nation, will both strengthen free institutions in South Korea and discourage aspiring despots elsewhere. It’s certainly a reminder that free institutions, if healthy, are far more agile than aspiring autocrats. Only about one third of South Koreans are Christian, but churches there famously have backed democracy and human rights. A spokesman for the Catholic bishops said the president must “sincerely apologize to the people.” The bishops declared: “Our democracy was built at great sacrifice. The Catholic Church in Korea actively supports and stands in solidarity with the Korean people to protect our democracy.”  The Methodist Church’s president also called the presidential martial law declaration “an affront to democracy.” He added: “The martial law is a betrayal of the trust people have given to the government. And it is unconstitutional, befitting a dictatorship.” Churches and Christians, if faithful to their social calling, will always resist dictatorship and lawlessness as presumption against human dignity and decency. Christians know by faith and experience that no ruler or regime can be entrusted with complete power, unrestrained by law and countervailing institutions. Dictatorship and strongman rule is functionally pagan, deeply at odds with the Christian understanding of justice and good order. Most people of any faith or no faith are reluctant to surrender their sovereignty in favor of despotism. But too often, and in most places around the world, and across history, people have acquiesced to tyranny from fear or passivity. Some falsely believe it will offer security or at least spare them responsibility. Many, like some Hebrews of old, prefer a “king” as in the heathen nations as opposed to God’s original plans for self-rule under His Providence. South Korea did not surrender to this temptation. It showed the world how a freedom and law loving nation, through its various institutions and public voices, responds when an aspiring despot tries to seize what is not his. South Korea’s democracy is not old. But it was gained through perseverance, is sustained by vigilance, and will endure so long as South Koreans cherish liberty. There will be a strategic cost for the South Korean president’s lawless folly. He was ostensibly pro-American and a strong backer of alliance with Japan against North Korea and China. The opposition, some of which is more ambivalent, will now have the upper hand. Here too is a political lesson. “Friends” who lack judgment, character and virtue are sometimes worse than enemies.

The fatal incident is the result of an apparent accident after the driver lost control of the vehicle.  The post Five Israelis killed in car accident in Morocco appeared first on World Israel News.

The fatal incident is the result of an apparent accident after the driver lost control of the vehicle.  The post Five Israelis killed in car accident in Morocco appeared first on World Israel News.

Australia recently voted at the UN that Israel should immediately pull out of what it deems 'the Occupied Palestinian territories.' The post Netanyahu says it is ‘impossible to separate’ attack on Melbourne synagogue from Australia’s anti-Israel policies appeared first on World Israel News.

Australia recently voted at the UN that Israel should immediately pull out of what it deems 'the Occupied Palestinian territories.' The post Netanyahu says it is ‘impossible to separate’ attack on Melbourne synagogue from Australia’s anti-Israel policies appeared first on World Israel News.

The United Kingdom is moving toward legalizing medical assistance in dying, modeling its law in part on Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has drawn criticism similar to that faced by Canada’s policy, particularly concerns that poor and disabled people could be pushed toward assisted dying,

Donald Trump’s short attention span has a tendency to flit from one issue to the next. But shrewd and shameless use of nationalist politics and xenophobia has been central to and a constant of his pitch since his first campaign. One recent major target: Chinese immigrants. Since the pandemic, tens of thousands of Chinese people

Trump has said the Gaza war should end quickly, but he also indicated that Israel should have freer rein to pursue their military goals. The post Trump tells Jewish broadcaster: ‘I will protect Israel’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Trump has said the Gaza war should end quickly, but he also indicated that Israel should have freer rein to pursue their military goals. The post Trump tells Jewish broadcaster: ‘I will protect Israel’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Several men were reportedly inside the synagogue when the two arsonists doused the building in gasoline and lit it on fire, severely damaging the interior. The post WATCH: Australian synagogue completely destroyed by antisemitic arson attack appeared first on World Israel News.

Several men were reportedly inside the synagogue when the two arsonists doused the building in gasoline and lit it on fire, severely damaging the interior. The post WATCH: Australian synagogue completely destroyed by antisemitic arson attack appeared first on World Israel News.

Afraaz: 'Our friends think that military action against Israel is a PlayStation game.' The post Senior Iranian official warns that Israel’s military might is ‘not a joke’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Afraaz: 'Our friends think that military action against Israel is a PlayStation game.' The post Senior Iranian official warns that Israel’s military might is ‘not a joke’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Israeli defense officials stated that the military will continue to take proactive measures to neutralize potential threats, maintaining a clear message that any infrastructure supporting terrorist activities will be targeted. The post IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons routes near Syria-Lebanon border, as fragile ceasefire holds appeared first on World Israel News.

Israeli defense officials stated that the military will continue to take proactive measures to neutralize potential threats, maintaining a clear message that any infrastructure supporting terrorist activities will be targeted. The post IDF strikes Hezbollah weapons routes near Syria-Lebanon border, as fragile ceasefire holds appeared first on World Israel News.

The incumbent councilwoman also voted against a resolution to establish 'End Jew Hatred Day' in New York City. The post Jewish Democrat announces primary challenge against anti-Israel New York City councilwoman appeared first on World Israel News.

The incumbent councilwoman also voted against a resolution to establish 'End Jew Hatred Day' in New York City. The post Jewish Democrat announces primary challenge against anti-Israel New York City councilwoman appeared first on World Israel News.

The Palestinian woman revealed that life before Oct. 7th was fantastic and everyone was happy, yet she supports the killing of Jews to fight the nonexistent occupation and also expressed admiration for terror leaders like Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. The post WATCH: A call from a Palestinian in Gaza reveals the truth about Oct. 7th, Hamas, and Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

The Palestinian woman revealed that life before Oct. 7th was fantastic and everyone was happy, yet she supports the killing of Jews to fight the nonexistent occupation and also expressed admiration for terror leaders like Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh. The post WATCH: A call from a Palestinian in Gaza reveals the truth about Oct. 7th, Hamas, and Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

Barring immediate drastic reductions to greenhouse gas emissions, worst-case predictions expect the global temperatures to increase between 3.3 and 5.7 degrees Celsius by 2100. Meanwhile, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, a sea level rise of five meters by 2150 “cannot be ruled out due to deep uncertainty in ice-sheet processes.”

Anti-Russian sanctions take its toll as tens of thousands of German workers are laid off.

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of the release of James Cameron’s classic sci-fi movie The Terminator. Cameron initially wrote the script as a way of processing the trauma of growing up in a world beset with Cold War paranoia and haunted by the threat of mutually assured destruction. The director was eight years old

Plus, are we witnessing revolution in Georgia? And what do you think of Australia’s under-16s social media ban?

Denmark’s parliament recently passed a so-called tripartite green deal, agreed between the agricultural lobby, trade unions in the agricultural and food sector, and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation. Especially attracting international attention is its promise to implement a carbon tax on agriculture and turn 15 percent of agricultural land into forests and natural habitats.

[This article was first posted on GR in September 2019.] The United States and Russia have quite the bumpy relationship. Talk of war between the two powerful countries isn’t anything new, and anyone who is paying attention knows that such … The post Shocking Video Simulation Shows the Devastation Nuclear War Would Cause appeared first on Global Research.

A 14-year-old boy from Marion County is facing charges of second-degree murder, nearly a year after the unfortunate demise of a 19-year-old. The identity of the accused minor is being kept confidential due to his age. He is suspected of fatally shooting Griffin Smith during a botched transaction in December of the preceding year. The incident is said to have occurred outside a Dollar General store on Marion Oaks Boulevard. The young suspect reportedly arranged ... Read more

A 13-year-old Ecuadorian migrant, along with three unidentified individuals, is alleged to have assaulted a man near Times Square on a recent Sunday evening, as per police records. The incident took place around 9 p.m. at the intersection of West 40th Street and Seventh Avenue. The group reportedly asked a 23-year-old man to take their picture, and when he declined, they assaulted him. The man was punched in the face and stabbed in the back ... Read more

… The post Video: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Heading Towards WWIII? Tucker Carlson appeared first on Global Research.

A tragic incident unfolded last weekend at a lake house near the Toledo Bend Reservoir in Texas, where a father allegedly mistook his adult son for an intruder and fatally shot him. The father, 68-year-old Houston lawyer Michael C. Howard, then reportedly cremated his son’s body on a pile of wood and trash, describing the incident as a “horrible accident,” according to local law enforcement. The Sabine County Sheriff’s Office reported that Howard was spending ... Read more

A Florida resident was apprehended and charged with indecent and lascivious behavior after law enforcement officers discovered him unclothed in an elementary school classroom, allegedly in possession of an assortment of adult toys and cannabis. The arrest report, as per Law&Crime, indicates that police were alerted on November 28 about a Caucasian male who was reportedly “naked in one of the classrooms” at Windmill Point Elementary School in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Upon the arrival ... Read more

Russian expertise also extends to flight suits, couches, rate sensors, and space-capable materials, enhancing India’s capacity in human spaceflight

In recent years , Chinese cars have rapidly gained a foothold in the Russian market, steadily replacing many Western brands

Introduction In 2020, politically promoted campaigns like “Operation Warp Speed” [1,2] and “Project Lightspeed” [3,4] pushed the development of a completely new class of drugs finally aiming at vaccinating seven billion people worldwide against COVID-19 [5]. These so-called “mRNA-vaccines” – … The post BioNTech RNA-Based COVID-19 Injections Contain Large Amounts of Residual DNA appeared first on Global Research.

Malaysia, a fast-growing Southeast Asian nation, has often sought to balance maintaining good relations with Western nations while fostering deeper connections with emerging economies

With no glimpse of victory in sight, Ukraine has ordered its forces to remain in Russia’s Kursk region until the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, the BBC reported on December 2, citing Ukrainian military personnel on the ground. … The post Fatigued Ukrainian Troops Ordered to Stay in Russia’s Kursk Region Until Trump’s Inauguration appeared first on Global Research.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated the US government’s new position that Ukraine needs to start sending 18 to 25 year-olds to fight in its war with Russia, telling Reuters on Monday that “getting younger people into the fight, … The post Blinken Is Pushing for Ukrainian Teens to Die for US Hegemony appeared first on Global Research.

South Korea is home to at least nine major US military bases and no less than 24,234 military personnel, and President Yoon Suk Yeol seems to be no fool. One may assume he would have consulted with his American “allies” and gotten their “okay” before proceeding with any power-grabbing endeavors.

Owing to its magnificent Confucian traditions that stress the importance of patience and self-control, the millennia-old Chinese civilization is famous for these qualities. However, even this has its limits, particularly in the face of barbaric arrogance.

To hear him tell it, Rep. Jamie Raskin is running to be the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee to protect democracy. “We are in the fight of our lives. The stakes have gone up since the election,” he wrote to his fellow Democrats this week. With Donald Trump in the White House, he

The Kiev regime does not dare to ignore any Western orders, which is why the war effort is likely to worsen and a change in the mobilization law is expected, making Kiev's military measures even more draconian.

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) affects 7% to 10% of Americans, causing an urge to move legs during rest. While medications are available, they may worsen symptoms long-term, prompting interest in alternative treatments A comprehensive review of 24 studies found that … The post Holistic Treatment Options for Restless Legs Syndrome appeared first on Global Research.

In the past, there were many locally defined conflicts on the various continents, which were often unrelated. But in today’s global world, in which the big players operate with all the powerful structures of the special services, we always have … The post West Aims to Weaken Russia Using New Fighting in Syria and Protests in Georgia appeared first on Global Research.

From November 15, 1884, until February 26, 1885, the Berlin West Africa Conference was held in Germany where numerous European states convened to carve up the continent based upon their own economic interests. Commonly known as the Berlin Conference, the … The post Berlin Conference 140 Years Later appeared first on Global Research.

The modern world is witnessing unprecedented levels of destruction, loss of life, and devastation of cities. This is evident in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Syria, and Palestine, where human suffering has reached harrowing proportions. These crises, however, are not … The post A World in Turmoil: Examining Destruction, Geopolitics, and the Path to Peace appeared first on Global Research.

“He sees you when you’re sleeping He knows when you’re awake He knows when you’ve been bad or good So be good for goodness’ sake!” —“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” You’d better watch out—you’d better not pout—you’d better not … The post You’d Better Watch Out: The Surveillance State Is Making a List, and You’re On It appeared first on Global Research.

Much media coverage of Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of defense has focused, understandably, on controversial things he has said or done, along with his complete lack of administrative experience relevant to running a federal government department with a $920 billion budget and a workforce of three million. Though Hegseth’s confirmation appears less likely by

The International Criminal Court (ICC) recently issued warrants for the arrest of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. The Israeli leaders are accused of a litany of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the past year. For Palestinians, the arrest warrants were a rare moment of hope, but

Donald Trump’s pick to head the Internal Revenue Service pressed the agency to investigate and consider stripping the country’s leading animal welfare group of its tax status after it supported an initiative to protect dogs, according to documents reviewed by us. If former Missouri Republican representative Billy Long is confirmed to run the Internal Revenue Service

The situation has become untenable for the besieged Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk, which will lead to Russia liberating the remaining occupied territory at a rapid pace.

Secret Plan Outlines the Unthinkable. America’s Post 9/11 Nuclear Doctrine. “Incorporation of Nuclear Capability into Conventional Systems” By William M Arkin and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 05, 2024 The Bush administration, in a secret policy review completed early this … The post Selected Articles: Secret Plan Outlines the Unthinkable. America’s Post 9/11 Nuclear Doctrine. appeared first on Global Research.

Private equity firms now hold contracts at nearly two-thirds of the country’s ninety federally designated immigration detention facilities, according to new research shared with us — meaning opaque, unaccountable, and profit-gouging Wall Street interests are set to make hundreds of millions of dollars detaining and surveilling the country’s immigrants. As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to

Dear Readers, Every year has its own surprises but 2024 has been the most difficult year for us by far. Global Research is a purely reader-supported organization. Our readership has shrunk despite our best efforts to extend our online reach. … The post Global Research’s Holiday Fundraiser appeared first on Global Research.

High Court Strips Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of Its Legal Immunities and Tax Exemptions in Kenya Paul Anthony Taylor, November 29, 2024 Why the United States Will Lose a War with Russia Mike Whitney, November 28, 2024… The post This Week’s Most Popular Articles appeared first on Global Research.

Six weeks before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration, the battle lines of the next phase of the Mexico-US relationship are quickly being drawn. On November 25, the president-elect took to his Truth Social account to threaten both Canada and Mexico with 25 percent tariffs starting on day one of his second term. The duties are to

After a decisive electoral victory, President Donald Trump will return to the White House, inheriting a much more chaotic situation in the Near East than he left behind in 2021. Since departing the presidency, Hamas began a war with its brutal massacre against Israel, Iran expanded its campaign of terrorism, and antisemitism has become shockingly common, most prominently in our universities. Here are 5 ways that President Trump can stand with Christians and Jews, both in the Near East and here at home.  Give Israel the Aid it Needs to End the War The war in Israel, prompted by Hamas’ massacre on October 7th, 2023, is still underway. Hamas continues to hold hostages in Gaza, including American citizens. The new White House must demand that Hamas release the hostages while ensuring that Israel has the necessary backing and firepower to finish the job.  Since 10/7, the Biden Administration has given Israel mixed signals. For example, though the US placed a THAAD missile defense system in Israel, it did so shortly after it was revealed that Biden had threatened to curb weapons and munitions shipments if Israel didn’t change tactics in confronting Hamas. Not only have these shenanigans strained the US-Israel relationship, they’ve also prolonged the war.  This must end. President Trump should begin by telling Israel that it has the full backing of the American government in seeking the destruction of Hamas and Hezbollah. It should be swift in its munitions deliveries and ensure that Israel has a collaborative relationship with American intelligence. President Trump should also return to the “maximum pressure” sanctions policy toward Iran while also ensuring that Iran never gets a nuclear bomb, even if it requires striking Iran directly. Israel deserves to live in peace; President Trump can be a part of that.  Create a Domestic Antisemitism Envoy Since 10/7, there has been an explosion of antisemitism in the United States. Though the Jewish People have been courageous during this painful time, they deserve to practice and live their faith free from the horrific antisemitism that has been allowed to foment in the United States.  One option that President Trump might consider is the creation of a domestic envoy to combat antisemitism. The current Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is attached to the State Department, which gives the Special Envoy a foreign policy orientation. And while that office must continue, a new office, perhaps attached to the Department of Justice, should be created to ensure that there is someone monitoring domestic antisemitism who can make full use of the DoJ to combat antisemitism here at home. By placing it within the Department of Justice, this domestic envoy could work closely with federal, state, and local authorities to prosecute antisemitic violence and address antisemitism in public institutions. Such an office would ensure that combating antisemitism remains a priority within U.S. borders, fostering a safer environment for Jewish communities nationwide. Hold Universities Accountable President Trump must hold American universities accountable for the surge of antisemitism on campus and for allowing pro-Hamas groups to terrorize Jewish students. A recent report from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce showed that many universities did nothing to protect Jewish students, all while ducking any moral responsibility for their actions.  President Trump must make it clear that institutions of higher learning that do not protect students from hate will have their tax-exempt status revoked. He must also convey that those students and professors who are in the United States on visas will be deported by the Department of Homeland Security if they support and advocate for terrorism.   By enforcing these measures, President Trump would send a strong message that antisemitism and the promotion of terror have no place on American soil, especially within its educational institutions. Normalize Relations with Saudi Arabia When President Trump brokered the Abraham Accords, he ushered in a new era for the Near East. Instead of a region fraught with strife and conflict, the monumental peace deal signaled a new future for the United States, Israel and its Arab neighbors. The next step in the peace process ought to be the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia holds significant influence in the Arab and Muslim worlds, and so formalizing ties with Israel would further stabilize the region and foster economic and security collaboration. Normalization could also shift regional dynamics, creating a united front against shared threats like Iran and China, while enhancing technological and economic development across the Middle East. Such an alliance would build on the success of the Abraham Accords, bringing more Arab nations into a framework of cooperation with Israel and the U.S., and promoting lasting peace through shared interests and mutual respect.  The road to normalization will not be easy, as the Crown Prince has, in the past, had some difficult demands on Israel in order to enable relations. But if there is anything that the past year has shown, it is that the Near East must put aside some of its differences in order to curtail Iran’s influence. President Trump should, from day one, begin fostering this monumental peace deal.  Broker Better Relations Between Israel and Lebanon Since October 8th of last year, Hezbollah has been firing upon innocent Israeli civilians as part of Iran’s multi-front proxy war against Israel. Only recently, however, have the Israelis taken the fight to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has deftly executed such operations as exploding the pagers and other electronic devices of Hezbollah operatives as well as the targeted killings of Hezbollah’s entire leadership, not to mention the decimation of Hezbollah’s command and control centers, weapons depots, and manufacturing centers. Lebanon now has an opportunity to move beyond its long association with Hezbollah towards a peaceful and prosperous future. President Trump and his Middle East team, which has a proven track record of creating peace in the region, must seize this opportunity to pull Lebanon out of Iran’s orbit by bringing it into alignment with Israel and the West. Beirut was once the Paris of the Middle East; President Trump should see to its returns to glory.  Moreover, the Christian community in Lebanon, which has for decades been caught in the crosshairs of civil war and terror, is perhaps breathing the greatest sigh of relief. Lebanese Christians know that normalization with Israel and the United States provides them the greatest protection for their rights and communities. They understand that building ties with stable allies can help shield them from regional volatility, offering a counterbalance to hostile forces that have long threatened their security and cultural heritage America needs a leader who will stand unapologetically with our allies, confront the forces of chaos, and restore order to a world on fire. President Trump must seize this moment to lead with strength, resolve and vision—because freedom and goodness depend on it.

First published on April 30, 2017   The crimes committed by the US against the people of Korea in the course of the Korean War but also in its aftermath are unprecedented in modern history. “We Killed Off – What … The post Video: U.S. Crimes of Genocide against Korea: “We Killed Off – What – 20% of the Population. We Burned Down every Town in North Korea…” appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Follow … The post Secret Plan Outlines the Unthinkable. America’s Post 9/11 Nuclear Doctrine. “Incorporation of Nuclear Capability into Conventional Systems” appeared first on Global Research.

À medida que a crise ucraniana piora, os conflitos de interesses entre as elites do país aumentam. Os oligarcas que outrora estiveram unidos numa coligação para defender a junta de Maidan estão agora a lutar entre si devido à falta … The post Oligarca ucraniano enfrenta perseguição do ditador que ajudou a eleger. appeared first on Global Research.

The official story is that a dangerous new coronavirus was detected in Wuhan, PRC. It had not been isolated, it's identity had not been confirmed. And then in February, the name of the "new virus" was changed to SARS-CoV-2, a virus first detected 20 years ago in 2003. The post There Never Was a “New Corona Virus”, There Never Was a Pandemic appeared first on Global Research.

US military aid to Ukraine under President Joe Biden has exceeded $62 billion, the Department of Defense said on December 2. This amount was reached after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on the same day a new arms … The post US Military Aid to Ukraine Exceeds A Massive $62 Billion Under the Joe Biden Administration. “Throwing Money Away” to the Detriment of the American People appeared first on Global Research.

How should "Greater BRICS" be understood? In the future, what role is BRICS expected to play, in terms of world governance and safeguarding the common interests of emerging market countries and developing countries? The Global Times (GT) invited experts from countries that are either members of BRICS or interested in researching this grouping to share their insights

Despite its non-membership in BRICS, South Korea shares many of the coalition’s aspirations, particularly in diversifying economic partnerships and reducing dependence on a Western-centric international order

The 16th BRICS Summit has taken place in Kazan, Russia—the first in-person gathering of BRICS leaders since the group's largest enlargement. The economic scale and scope of cooperation within BRICS will grow and interactions among member countries will increase

When France’s left-wing MPs tried last week to reverse the signature reform of Emmanuel Macron’s second term — a deeply unpopular 2023 rise in the pension age — the president’s supporters organized to prevent a vote even happening. In runoffs for summer’s snap elections, left-wingers and just over half of Macron’s base had tactically voted

Soldiers are deserting due to war fatigue, Polish defense minister says.

Allegedly, the plan excludes the possibility of stationing US troops in Ukraine, but envisages that European NATO members, namely the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, take that role. However, if the WSJ's report is true, the chances of Russia accepting this proposal are virtually zero, as all four European NATO members are already involved in the fighting.

It shouldn’t be the least bit surprising what many pundits who assured people about Kamala Harris’s almost certain victory are blaming for the election result: misinformation. They’re right — just not in the way that they think. Misinformation did play a major role in Democrats’ election defeat. Only it wasn’t ordinary voters who were led

They said it wouldn’t happen again in South Korea — not after more than four decades during which hundreds of thousands of people were beaten, tortured, jailed, and killed while defending democracy against one strongman after another. Another military coup seemed to be out of the question until the late evening of December 3, when

Washington announces new arms package for Kiev totaling $725 million from its stockpiles.

President Joe Biden has roughly two months left before he hands the reins to another Trump administration. Can he do anything during this lame-duck period to safeguard federal institutions and government protections from the coming deregulation bomb? According to experts, the answer is yes. The Biden administration and Democratic majority in the Senate can fill crucial regulatory and

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, significant existing fractures, especially on the right, have been exposed in American foreign policy. Democrats have largely aligned behind the policy of the Biden Administration, which has been one of strong rhetorical support though with often-lackluster material aid and an inordinate fear of “escalation.” That term has been the bugbear of the political right when it comes to this conflict, dividing traditionally hawkish Republicans from populist isolationists, who seek a much more limited American role abroad. Both groups criticize Biden’s Ukraine policy but for vastly divergent rationales: one because it is too weak and the other because it is too strong. While the hawks complain that the White House has failed to deliver military aid in a timely and efficient manner, other Republicans are concerned that supporting Ukraine, in addition to dragging the U.S. into an unnecessary conflict, could potentially spark WWIII. This line of rhetoric, particularly with an impending second Trump Administration, may come to increasingly shape foreign policy. Escalation is not a one-way street, yet these critics ignore the bigger half of the issue – constant Russian aggression – to focus narrowly and unfairly on Ukraine. This approach is detached from the reality of warfare in general, ignores the specific path of this conflict, lends undue credence to nuclear saber-rattling, and blames America for the belligerence of our enemies. First, this inordinate fear of World War III and nuclear exchange is disconnected from how escalation dynamics actually work in modern conflict. For a conflict to de-escalate to a point where it is stable enough to reach a sustainable endgame, both sides must be deterred from further escalation. If one side sees it as in their interest to continue fighting, peace will not be reached. Counterintuitively, this often requires greater escalation (escalation dominance) to create a deterrent effect; each belligerent must understand that unacceptable costs will be imposed by continuing. But that escalation – or threat thereof – must be credible to the opposing faction to be successful. Warfare, particularly the existential kind in which Ukraine is currently embroiled, is not something that can be carefully micromanaged. Restrictions on warfighting are counterproductive, only serving to disadvantage the restricted side by reducing the credibility of its threats of escalation. And that prolongs wars and increases their potential to broaden, not the reverse. Second, the Russo-Ukrainian War in particular has not been the story of Ukrainian escalation against Russia, but Russian aggression towards Ukraine. The current stage of the war began when Russia launched an unprovoked full-scale invasion in February 2022, intended to topple the government in Kyiv and turn the country into a pliant satrapy. Russia has attacked civilian targets, razed Ukrainian cities, massacred innocents, taken children captive, and interdicted food shipments. It has used ballistic missiles, naval bombardment, carpet bombing, and even North Korean auxiliary fighters. Ukraine, supplied by the West and at a major disadvantage in terms of total soldiers and firepower, has been restrained in response. It has barely attacked Russian positions in Russia, largely due to arbitrary constraints imposed by its sponsors, especially the United States. The reason Kyiv has been able to remain in this war is in spite of these restrictions: it has innovated tactically and technologically, as well as taking big chances on impressive attacks in the Black Sea, the Kursk salient, and against Russian military infrastructure. Some analysts claim this opportunistic and gutsy Ukrainian response to overwhelming Russian aggression is a “maximalist” strategy bringing doom to the world; the reality is precisely opposed, as a maximalist strategy of deterrent-creating escalation would have Ukraine in a far better position than it is today. Third, the World War III predictors constantly buy into every rhetorical threat of nuclear escalation on the part of Vladimir Putin, allowing Russia to deter Ukraine and the West via belligerent speech. Moscow has set red line after red line, from the provision of main battle tanks, long-range fires, and fighter jets to Ukrainian incursions into pre-war Russian territory and the sinking of Russian naval vessels. They backed each of those hardline stances with ever-increasing nuclear saber-rattling. Yet none of those eventual actions, even if deterred for months, were responded to with any sort of serious force on the part of Moscow. These were empty threats from the beginning, but they worked, hence why they have continued apace. The same pundits also accuse America, via NATO expansion, of having caused the war in the first place. They argue that the growth of a purely voluntary defensive alliance in the former Warsaw Pact violated a nonexistent ‘commitment’ made to Russia after the Cold War and created an untenable security threat on Moscow’s border. In reality, the voluntary accession to NATO by nations formerly under the boot of Soviet oppression is a logical response to the long-term historical danger of Russian expansionism – one that has repeatedly proven destructive over the past few centuries. Ukraine is the one being threatened by Russia, not vice versa. It is Russia that has subjugated, starved, and invaded Ukraine in recurring attempts to destroy it, not the reverse. It is an aggressive Moscow that poses a security risk to its peaceful European neighbors, not a defensive-minded NATO acting against Russia. Not only are these doomsayers harming Ukrainian defense and self-deterring American action, but they are also endangering our national security across a wide variety of theaters. Showing our adversaries that we will cower in response to any nuclear threat is an incentive for more nuclear threats and greater proliferation. Russia, China, and North Korea all have nuclear weapons and a good reason to threaten us to achieve their geopolitical aims. Other enemy and rogue regimes, including Iran and its terrorist proxies, would only be incentivized to pursue weapons of mass destruction. The Soviet Union similarly engaged in nuclear brinksmanship, constantly provoking American reaction and testing our red lines. This included the Cuban Missile Crisis,  testing weapons of mass destruction regularly, and supplying and reinforcing our enemies. Nikita Khrushchev’s infamous 1956 “we will bury you” speech is probably the most well-known example of this phenomenon. America cannot be made to back down every time Putin intimates he will use nuclear weapons; if that became our policy, it would be completely impossible to deter Russia from anything. We are the primary world power and should not forget our own large nuclear arsenal. This is not to encourage belligerence generally, but that we should respond in kind to our foes so as to preclude further aggression on their part: escalating to de-escalate. But this strategy, one that worked to win us the Cold War, is incomprehensible to those who would cry ‘World War III’ at the earliest opportunity.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) has established itself as a multilateral organisation distinct from others, evident from its 16th meeting in Kazan (Russia). The BRICS difference can be read as decolonised multilateralism with intent and behaviour as an interdependent, plural grouping, committed to development linked to the global South

Russia is in talks with other BRICS members about creating an international precious metals exchange to ensure fair pricing and trade growth, the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in a statement

While BRICS must be taken seriously, it would be wrong to interpret it as one pole of a two-sided geopolitical competition between China and Russia and the West

Current geostrategic developments show us that local conflicts in our global world are being used by major players to their advantage.

Not even a pitiful sliver of "justice" will be served, as Hunter Biden has just been pardoned after years of lies and false promises that this wouldn't happen.

Mutual accusations between Kolomoisky and the Ukrainian government highlight the tense domestic political situation in Ukraine.

Hundreds of Colombians have died in battles with Russian forces.

The Georgian Dream government tried shifting to Russia – but now faces a popular uprising and constitutional crisis

New framework agreed in Baku last month means countries face no repercussions if they fail to abide by the rules

With only the university of Google to (mis)guide us, we’re battling misinformation the Gen Z way

For months, Pope Francis has rhetorically walked a fine line regarding the Israel-Hamas War, using platitudes, abstracts, and metaphors to convey his concerns. But this period of nonalignment may be over. In a new book, Pope Francis has stirred controversy by calling for an investigation to determine if Israel’s military response in Gaza amounts to “genocide.” Predictably, the Pope nuanced these remarks, saying, “According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.” He stops just short saying that he himself believes it to be genocide, but his intended message is as clear as it is abhorrently wrong. Placing a question mark at the end of a controversial statement does not absolve one of the implications that statement carries with it.  Genocide is a weighty charge that should not be made in vain. According to Article II of the United Nations Genocide Convention, a genocide involves committing acts with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.” One should be prepared to support, with convincing evidence, an accusation of this measure, yet Pope Francis has not done so. His statements are not merely unhelpful but will also create new obstacles to a just and lasting peace in Gaza.  Using the term genocide to describe the conflict in Gaza is woefully detached from the reality on the ground. While the destruction and loss of life is tragic and shocking, it does not come anywhere close to genocide. Israel is seeking the destruction of Hamas – a terrorist organization, not the Palestinian people at large. The case for labeling Israel’s military response a genocide rests on two separate and false assumptions. First, that Israel is indiscriminately targeting civilians, and second, that Israel is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching Gaza. Both are egregious lies.   Last month I visited Israel and traveled to the Gaza envelope, the area within just a few miles of the border, where I saw firsthand how the conflict has evolved since it began just over a year ago. Visible to me was the brutality Hamas has wrought upon their own population. The terror group constantly uses civilians as human shields by preventing their safe evacuation from areas facing imminent attack and routinely steals humanitarian aid to sell it to starving civilians in order to pay and equip their own fighters. Also apparent were the great lengths to which Israel goes to precisely target terrorist combatants, minimize civilian casualties, and safely deliver truckloads of humanitarian aid across the border despite the dangerous conditions. Israel takes these extraordinary measures sometimes bitterly and reluctantly, knowing that its own restraint is likely prolonging the war and further endangering their own troops. Yet Israel does so anyway, because conduct within war must be as just as the cause itself. Israel’s deliberate and precise use of force coupled with their remarkable humanitarian efforts are proof that their campaign operates under strict conditions of a just war, not the genocidal tendencies Pope Francis may be insinuating.   Pope Francis’ false characterizations bestow unwarranted credibility on Hamas and their international sympathizers who have worked against peace at every turn. It isn’t a coincidence that the unnamed “experts” Pope Francis referenced are more often than not, the same people that attempt to justify and rationalize Hamas’ barbaric attack on October 7th. These individuals have for decades undermined not only Israel’s right to self-defense, but also its legitimacy as a sovereign state. Pope Francis then defers to “technical definitions formulated by jurists and international bodies” to determine Israel’s guilt. By casting aspersions and then passing the administration of justice onto an unqualified authority, Pope Francis distances himself from the impact of his words. Meanwhile, it is these international bodies that – at the beckoning of bad faith actors – have rewritten international definitions, laws and norms to undermine Israel’s existence. With biases so prevalent, these bodies could hardly be called upon to act as objective arbiters of justice.   Ultimately, what is most disheartening about Pope Francis’ remarks is that he knows better. It is Hamas, not Israel who is guilty of genocidal acts. In fact, Hamas’s genocidal attacks are so brazen, that no formal investigation is warranted. Simply look at Hamas’ own words and actions. The 1988 Hamas Covenant calls for the killing of Jews. On October 7th, Hamas did just that and filmed it for the world to see. The Vatican, while officially neutral, has a vital role to play in international affairs and geopolitics. Popes throughout the ages have wielded considerable influence on the world around them, with positive outcomes.   Pope Francis, as the leader of the world’s largest Christian church, must recognize the horrible irony of accusing Jews, the victims of the most horrific genocide in living memory, of being themselves perpetrators of genocide. His comparison of Israel’s military response to genocide, minimizes the suffering of real genocide victims, like those in the Holocaust and the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.  The only responsible party for the destruction of Gaza and the deaths of many civilians is Hamas. But Pope Francis’ statements fail to reflect this reality. The Pope has a responsibility to promote peace and justice, a task which is only possible by conveying the truth. Unfortunately, his recent remarks do just the opposite. Lending credence to accusations of genocide by Israel will do little to help alleviate the suffering of those affected by the conflict. Instead, it will likely only prolong the war by decreasing international pressure on Hamas, the belligerent aggressor.   Catholics around the world have a responsibility to respect the authority of the Pope and must do so faithfully. At the same time, Catholics must also not fail to criticize him when circumstances warrant it. In this case, Pope Francis’ erroneous statements could be gravely devastating to the cause of peace and justice. Pope Francis should recognize that the war in Gaza is a moment where the Church can provide a leading a voice for that just peace. I hope and pray he has not missed that moment.   

Smaller brains? Fewer friends? An evolutionary biologist asks how artificial intelligence could impact humanity

Government launches a trial of three age assurance technologies to enforce the social media ban

Ethiopia’s growing economic and strategic position in Africa can present new opportunities for collaboration with Brazil and other member countries within the BRICS bloc, Brazil’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Jandyr Ferreira dos Santos told ENA

The Indian government plans to triple its nuclear power generation capacity to 22.4 gigawatts by 2032, according to recent news sources

Russia's largest data center operator BitRiver has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to build mining and AI computing facilities across BRICS nations

Any such cross-border militarization as promised by Trump (with potential for some degree of armed confrontation) could have escalating consequences and unpredictable repercussions in terms of diplomatic and economic impacts, gang violence, and domestic and cross-border inter-ethnic tensions.

Turkey needs to change its expansionist policies in order to build better relations with BRICS. Ankara will need to make a far more convincing commitment, first by leaving NATO and then by rejecting Neo-Ottomanism, pan-Turkism and Islamic radicalism as tools of its power projection.

Growing up on an army base, Jessica was told the military was family. That changed when she reported sexual abuse

NATO, EU want to overthrow the legitimate government in the country and establish a pro-Western junta, as happened in Ukraine in 2014.

Moscow: nuclear weapons should never be used but the situation is changing drastically.

In April this year, Pascal Sleiman, a coordinator for the Lebanese Forces (LF) party—Lebanon’s largest Christian party—was abducted near Byblos, north of Beirut, and later found dead in Syria. Hezbollah promptly launched a disinformation campaign, attempting to shift blame for the killing onto criminal elements. Less than a year prior, Elias Hasrouni, a member of the LF central council and former party coordinator, was also killed. Hasrouni was murdered in Ain Ebel, one of four Christian villages in the Bint Jbeil province, an area surrounded by Shiite Muslim villages where Hezbollah holds significant influence.  Approximately 30% of Lebanon’s population is Christian, with Maronite Christians forming the largest group. The Maronites belong to the Catholic Church and are in full communion with the Pope. The Maronite Church is one of the 23 Eastern Catholic Churches, each distinguished by unique liturgical rites, traditions, and canon law, yet all recognize the Pope’s authority as the head of the Roman Catholic Church.  While tensions between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon have fluctuated over the years, they have worsened following recent events, including Hamas’s 10/7 attack on Israel and rising tensions between Israel and Iran. Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim extremist group and influential political party, holds considerable sway over the Lebanese government. This influence was evident when authorities endorsed the narrative that the deaths of Sleiman, Hasrouni, and other prominent members of the predominantly Christian Lebanese Forces were due to car thefts, distancing these incidents from any connection to Hezbollah.  The Lebanese Forces (LF), a Christian political party and former militia (distinct from the Lebanese Armed Forces, the national army), have long opposed Hezbollah’s dominance in Lebanon, particularly criticizing its ties to Iran and independent militia operating outside state control. Since the escalation of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, 2023, tensions between the LF and Hezbollah have grown. The LF blames Hezbollah for destabilizing Lebanon by engaging in cross-border attacks on Israel in support of Hamas, further worsening Lebanon’s fragile political and economic situation. From the LF’s perspective, Hezbollah’s actions serve Iran’s regional interests at the expense of Lebanon’s sovereignty, while Hezbollah argues that its involvement is part of its resistance against Israeli aggression.  Hezbollah’s extensive influence in Lebanon positions it uniquely between a state and non-state actor. The organization maintains a military force surpassing the Lebanese national army in size and operates its own social institutions, welfare programs, banking facilities, and even supermarkets.   Under Lebanon’s power-sharing agreement, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian. However, Hezbollah’s significant parliamentary presence enables it to impede governmental processes, effectively blocking the election of a president unless the candidate aligns with its preferences. This deadlock has left Lebanon without a president since 2022.   Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai has criticized Hezbollah for actions he perceives as divisive and detrimental to the nation’s unity. Many Christians are rallying around the patriarch, viewing him as a defender of Lebanon’s Christian heritage and identity.    Lebanon’s Christian community maintains that the nation is not at war with Israel and contends that Hezbollah engaged in hostilities without public consent. Following the Lebanese Civil War, Hezbollah was the only militia permitted to retain its weapons, justified as a resistance force against Israeli occupation. In contrast, Christian militias disarmed, leaving them without the military capacity to challenge Hezbollah’s dominance.  In recent years, two Maronite Christian parties—the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Marada Movement—have allied with Hezbollah out of perceived political necessity. However, internal dissent is emerging within the FPM, with many members becoming more willing to publicly call Hezbollah an occupying force serving Iranian interests.   The ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has disproportionately affected Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim community, resulting in higher casualties and displacement among its members.    Recent developments in Lebanon have heightened sectarian tensions, particularly between Christian and Shiite Muslim communities. The displacement of Shiite populations due to ongoing conflicts has led to localized clashes with Christian residents. Videos circulating on social media depict these confrontations, exacerbating animosities and raising concerns about the potential for broader conflict. Similarly, videos made the rounds, showing some Lebanese dancing to celebrate the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, further intensifying the situation.   There is growing concern that anti-Hezbollah factions, such as the Kataeb (Christian Phalange) Party and the Lebanese Forces, might take more direct actions against Shiite communities. Additionally, fears persist that Israeli military strikes could mistakenly hit Christian areas, potentially inciting extremist groups to retaliate against Muslim populations.  Some think tanks argue that Israel might benefit from a Lebanese civil war, as it would weaken Hezbollah and, they speculate, Israel may even intentionally stoke conflict to achieve this goal. On October 8th, in a televised message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the Lebanese people to “stand up and take your country back from [Hezbollah terrorists].” Critics condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, accusing him of deliberately destabilizing Lebanon.  At the same time, it seems reasonable that moderate Muslims, Sunnis, and Christians in Lebanon would want their country to pursue an independent foreign policy rather than act as a proxy for Iran. Not everyone in Lebanon supports Hezbollah; many did not vote for them and do not want their lives dictated by a militant organization. Furthermore, Hezbollah’s ongoing conflict with Israel is pushing Lebanon’s already fragile economy deeper into collapse, worsening human suffering. It’s also notable that Israel would not be bombing Lebanon if Hezbollah had not launched attacks against Israel.  Given these pressures, it’s understandable that those who view Hezbollah as oppressors might be considering ways to reclaim their country’s autonomy, even by force.  In 2020, when the Beirut Port explosion devastated predominantly Christian neighborhoods, Hezbollah obstructed efforts to investigate the incident. After the group declared support for Hamas following the October 7th attacks on Israel, Hezbollah positioned rocket launchers in a mostly Christian village near the Israeli border, placing Christians at risk of retaliatory strikes. Violence against Christians has since intensified, and the Lebanese Forces (LF) have revived their civil war-era rallying cry, “Danger is knocking on the doors.”  This resurgence of Christian solidarity has reinvigorated the Christian Phalange Party—a powerful faction during the Lebanese Civil War—and seen the emergence of new militias like the Soldiers of God, formed to defend Christian neighborhoods and counter Hezbollah’s influence. These developments reflect escalating tensions and the growing determination among Lebanon’s Christian communities to safeguard their security and autonomy.  A complex battle of narratives is unfolding in Lebanon. For some Christians who perceive Israel as an occupying force since the 1982 invasion, Hezbollah is seen as a justified resistance movement, while others see Israel as an aggressor while also opposing Hezbollah. For those who perceive Hezbollah itself as an occupier, civil war might appear as a pathway to ending Hezbollah’s influence. Other factions include Lebanon’s 1.5 million Sunni refugees from Syria, who hold no allegiance to Hezbollah, and many average Lebanese voters who want Iran’s influence out of Lebanon’s affairs.   Pro-Hezbollah voices counter that Israel and Western powers hold too much sway over Lebanon’s political landscape. Meanwhile, many in Lebanon sympathize with the Palestinian people. Although they may not support Hamas, they do not want their own country drawn into a prolonged and devastating conflict, fearing a future of relentless rocket fire and destruction. 

BRICS’ resilience should be understood in the context of the shifting international order, with geopolitical fragmentation providing the Global South with greater flexibility to pursue its strategic goals. For the West, engaging on the Global South’s most pressing concerns may help to foster more constructive partnerships

The two countries are working to increase trade in agriculture and food products, officials have told

Several months ago we postulated a BRICS+ business model for companies that explored the scope for exploiting the BRICS diverse presence in the main regions of the developing world. But while this business model had its clear advantages, it also contained some drawbacks, most notably pertaining to the degree to which BRICS/BRICS+ economies could be/were integrated into regional/global supply chains in the midst of mounting geopolitical risks

Plus, you told us what you thought about Labour’s partnership with controversial asset manager BlackRock

Ukraine’s corruption is a structural issue that impacts the economy and now is even sabotaging warfare efforts. From Kyiv’s perspective, the situation of course should not get any better with a US Republican administration under Donald Trump curbing aid.

Ukrainian citizens are divided between recruiters and potential recruits.

The warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC doesn't seem to care about de-escalation. On the contrary, the US and its NATO (and non-NATO) allies, vassals and satellite states are pushing for global destabilization, targeting nuclear-armed powers such as Russia, China and North Korea, as well as other sovereigntist nations such as Iran and Venezuela, among others.

Georgia’s slow reconciliation with Russia faces major backlash from pro-Western opposition

“Literature that indulges the tastes of the reader is a degraded literature. My goal is to disappoint the usual expectations and inspire new ones.”  -Elena Ferrante  “You can do anything you want. You’re Joker.”  -Lee Quinzel  The swift judgment leveled at Joker: Folie à Deux, following its opening weekend box office disappointment, seems to be that the film fails. (Because money makes for greatness, right?) It is slow, some say, and it defies expectations. The swiftness of online judgment impacts even those who haven’t seen the film, keeping many away. But there is far more going on in the sequel than most reviewers have let on. To begin with, Joker’s character evolves in unexpected ways. In response, the audience (inside and outside the film) reacts to the Joker’s evolution in potentially unexpected ways, invoking remarkable irony, hypocrisy, or sympathy, depending on the viewer.   Joker and (Potential) Redemption  At the beginning of the film, Arthur Fleck (aka Joker) is locked beyond reach of hope or redemption, it seems. He is about to be tried for murder. He will likely get what he deserves, legally speaking. (Unless perhaps an insanity defense prevails.) Spiritually speaking, he already seems dead.   And just as he is beyond hope, so he is thought to be beyond morality. “You can do anything you want. You’re Joker.” So Harley Quinzel (aka Lee) tells Joker authoritatively. According to this view, Joker is beyond good and evil (or believes himself to be). And this is precisely what some critics and audience members want to see, along with the chaos and destruction his absence of morality can create. Lee’s provocative line invites comparison to the classic Dostoyevsky novel Crime and Punishment. In this view, Joker is like Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment who temporarily believed himself to be beyond morality too, an ubermensch (overman or superman) in Nietzschean terms. This license led to terrible crime. Still, redemption came. In that novel, a female character pointed him toward redemption. Joker’s love interest, in contrast, is anything but angelic, and as she becomes his principal audience, she drives him to embody irrevocably the unrepentant Joker persona.   But love is a powerful, inspiring thing. Even in imperfect form, it may act on Joker in ways that are beyond Lee’s anticipation or control. And there may be other things pushing Joker toward redemption. There is music. For a quasi-musical, surprisingly, too little has been said about the music. First of all, the aspect ratio of the film enlarges, becoming more immersive, when a musical number begins. It is a testament of sorts to the power and importance of imagination, something uniquely related to the comic book genre.   The nature of the music, too, is significant. Much of it is older and nostalgic or innocent. Much of it is romantic. More importantly—as the nostalgia and the romance may prove false—much of it is spiritual. While the music oscillates, there is a motif in the music that pulls toward redemption. In The Shawshank Redemption, Andy Dufresne’s rule-breaking performance of Mozart offers inmates a transcendent experience of hope and freedom. Similarly, in Joker: Folie a Deux, some of the music inspires in Joker (and other inmates at times) transcendent longing for love and hope.   One spiritual, When the Saints Go Marching In, is repeated so often it becomes a refrain. The sound of a guard whistling the melody is one of the very first sounds the audience hears inside Arkham. Later, an inmate plays it on trumpet. Prisoners eventually sing it as protest. The song explicitly evokes the idea of redemption and the coming of judgment, wanting to be numbered among the saints, marching toward freedom, love, fraternity, eternity. This is an unexpected prison song. But it fits because it alludes to the possibility of redemption, even for unlikely people. It’s apt also because it alludes to coming judgment, which for Joker is coming very soon in the form of a capital trial. He may merit a death sentence.  The trial brings another element that pushes toward redemption. In an outstanding supporting performance, Leigh Gill portrays Gary Puddles, who had worked as a clown alongside Arthur Fleck in the first Joker film. Gary’s testimony piercingly relives the murders and reveals the impact of Arthur’s crimes in the first film. Gary has been suffering post-traumatic stress disorder ever since. Through Gary’s eyes, Joker sees a little more clearly and fully.   When he returns to prison that night, another experience seems to stir in Arthur a sense of remorse and desired redemption. In his cell, lying on his bed after an assault by the guards, Arthur hears as another inmate is defenselessly murdered. Tears fall from his eyes. And in that moment, it’s apparent at least that Joker knows clearly that the murder is wrong. And, by implication, it may suggest that he repents the murders he committed too. Later events seem to confirm this view. Redemption may be at hand, even for Joker.   Joker and the Critics  Joker’s character and persona are inherently, painfully, vainly focused on performance, on evoking a particular reaction or relationship from an audience. Like many comics, he has tremendous emptiness and suffering to fill. Thus, both Joker films self-consciously interact with this performative aspect of human nature. The character becomes symbolic or metonymic of our own narcissistic online culture. Yet by the end of the sequel, remarkably, Joker no longer cares what the audience thinks of him. And this is a positive development for the character, because his popularity may prove to be fickle. If he relinquishes the Joker persona, he relinquishes the perverse adulation that goes with it. As one line says, “They don’t care about him. They care about Joker.”  This potential movement toward redemption for Joker raises provocative questions, especially in light of the real-life audience’s reaction to the film. If the audience began to sympathize with, or feel pity for, Arthur in the first film—a film so successful it made over a billion dollars at the box office—why wouldn’t the audience care enough about the character to see a dramatic positive shift in the second film? If audiences don’t watch to empathize, do they watch to vilify? To participate? To indulge? Do they/we seek stories about the Joker just to see him go mad, to vicariously indulge a dark desire for chaos? Or do audiences watch not just to see heroism, but simultaneously to vilify and then validate innate desires for retribution and bloodletting? Perhaps there was simply not enough chaos, killing, and vengeance in this story?   The filmmakers may know what audiences want when they watch the Joker. In the trailer for the film, toward the end, Joker says, “I got this sneaking suspicion that we’re not giving the people what they want.” Lee answers, “Let’s give the people what they want.” This is immediately followed in the trailer by a sequence of carefully orchestrated violence. This, the filmmakers suggest, is what the audience wants. With money on the line, the fact that the filmmakers have a different story to tell, one which does not truly indulge such desires, seems an act of moral courage. This courage to go a different direction, along with impressive filmmaking, seems to be what Quentin Tarantino praised so highly in recent comments. (That, and he also calls Joaquin Phoenix’s work “one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in my life.”) Unexpectedly, Joker is conquered in the end not by force, but by a trial and, perhaps, by a “true love” referenced in the final song of the film.   The title of the film is Joker: Folie à Deux. The “folly of two”1 refers to an older psychological term that attempts to describe a shared folly or madness, more specifically a shared psychosis or shared delusional disorder. The idea suggests that such folly can be communicable. But if crime can be copied, evil can be imitated, and folly can be passed on, goodness can be imitated too. And it is only virtue that brings true happiness or eudaimonia, according to Aristotle and other ethicists. The movie’s meditation on such cultural imitation is an apt one in a culture of increasingly rapid cultural transmission.   Arguably, the direction of the film elevates it to the realm of tragedy, awakening in audiences open to it the pity and fear, based in shared humanity, that Aristotle wrote about in his Poetics. The action of the drama then moves audiences to wonder, wonder at the unlikely and unexpected shift in Arthur at the end of the story. “[A]t the end of every tragedy,” writes Joe Sachs in light of Aristotle’s Poetics, “we are washed in the beauty of the human image, which our pity and our fear have brought to sight.” This is a sight worth seeing.   Yes, the director enables pity for the character. But at the same time, he doesn’t make it easy for the audience. He preserves too much complexity, critical distance, and realism for that, even in this trailblazing fantastical prison/trial/musical drama. Even toward the end, after Arthur begins to display remorse and empathy, he still laughs at awkward, inappropriate moments. He remains at least partially in thrall to the destructive power of Lee, even after his generative dark night of the soul. Arthur is a criminal who has only begun to turn toward redemption. And while we may ultimately come to pity him, albeit without excusing him for his crimes, will we, in the real world, pity with prudence the next off-putting, wounded, self-absorbed, troubled soul that crosses our paths? Ultimately, the final character implicated in the film is the viewer. We each chart our own response.   Years ago, The Shawshank Redemption, another prison drama with an affinity for music, failed at the box office; yet hindsight recognized its greatness. This is not to say that Joker reaches that level of freedom, hope, or beauty. But with time, Joker: Folie à Deux may be appreciated as an audacious, subversive comic book film that interrogates the genre, the audience, and the role of art more broadly.   And a soul  if it is to know itself  must look  into its own soul:  the stranger and enemy, we’ve seen him in the mirror.  -George Seferis, “Mythistorema”  Alternatively, it wouldn’t be surprising if “folie à deux” is intended, as an ironic inside joke almost, to refer to the sequel itself. The filmmakers likely knew that, as a musical, prison drama, and trial drama, the second film would hardly approach the first in box office. Yet that doesn’t mean the sequel has been unsuccessful. It’s earned over a quarter of a billion dollars so far. Few musicals or prison dramas or trial dramas have ever achieved such success. But there are other measures of success besides just money. Moreover, the film may function as a fascinating experiment, testing the rationale for the popularity of the first film. It is a bold filmmaking move. Arguably, few filmmakers have such courage now. After all, our culture conditions us to maximize wealth, not art or virtue or meaning or beauty. We have yet to learn how to value such (seemingly) intangible, life-giving goods. ↩︎

There’s a lot of talk these days about saving America and defending the West, but few of our would-be defenders mention the one thing needed for our survival. This Thanksgiving it’s worth recalling what that thing is. For many Americans, and increasingly Europeans, the answer is Christianity. No one has made the case more eloquently in this regard than British historian Tom Holland whose Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Made the World (2019) recounts  “how Christianity has transformed not just the West, but the entire world.” Born of Holland’s own reckoning with his religious upbringing, the book argues that Western civilization—indeed, all of modernity—can’t be understood without the contribution of the Church. “So profound has been the impact of Christianity on the development of Western civilization that it has come to be hidden from view,” Holland says. That’s why he, despite his private doubts, stakes the future of the West on a reckoning with its religious past. Ayaan Hirsi Ali reinforced this argument more recently in a compelling essay entitled “Why I am Now a Christian” (2023) where the Muslim-turned-atheist defends her recent conversion with reference to two points: first, the threat facing the West from Russia, China, Islamism, and “wokeism” and the inability of atheism to motivate a sufficient response; second, her realization that life is “unenduring—indeed very nearly self-destructive” without some form of spiritual solace. “Atheism failed to answer a simple question: what is the meaning and purpose of life?” she writes. Now attending Anglican services with her husband, historian Niall Ferguson, Ali is “discover[ing] a little more…each Sunday” how to “manage the challenges of existence.” Ferguson made his own contribution to the genre with Civilization: The West and the Rest (2012) where he also cites Christianity’s importance to Western identity; yet, like Holland and Ali, Ferguson prefers historical and cultural arguments over supernatural ones. In one revealing passage, after pointing out that Islamic civilization is built on the revelation of the Quran, he asks, “But what are the foundational texts of Western civilization, that can bolster our belief in the almost boundless power of the free individual human being?” Ferguson answers his question in a footnote, but strangely overlooks the foundational texts of his own religion. “If I just had to select a single volume as my Koran,” he writes, “it would be Shakespeare’s complete works.” For Europeans confronted with an ascendant Islam, this utilitarian return to Christianity has become increasingly common. Even the renowned infidel Richard Dawkins has gone on record as a “cultural Christian” after seeing Ramadan lights hung in Oxford Street in place of Easter lights. Ecstatic that fewer and fewer Britons are entertaining the “God delusion,” Dawkins nevertheless sees the potential loss of “our cathedrals and our beautiful parish churches” as an unspeakable tragedy. “If I had to choose between Christianity and Islam, I’d choose Christianity every single time,” he told an interviewer, noting that “it would be truly dreadful if we substituted any alternative religion.”  +++ Americans are, on average, more pious than Europeans. But many of our leading conservatives don’t see Christianity as the answer to our predicament. In Why Liberalism Failed (2018), Patrick Deneen lauds pre-liberal Christian virtues—the “deep reservoirs of belief and commitment” he claims liberalism eroded—but sees renewed practices and institutions as more important for guaranteeing the future. “What we need today,” he concludes, “are practices fostered in local settings, focused on the creation of new and viable cultures, economics grounded in virtuosity within households, and the creation of civic polis life.”  In Suicide of the West: How the Rebirth of Tribalism, Populism, Nationalism, and Identity Politics Is Destroying American Democracy (2018), Jonah Goldberg minimizes the importance of religion altogether, arguing contra Deneen that liberal democracy alone can save us. “There is no God,” he says, “at least not in this argument. I assert this not because I’m an atheist (I’m not), but because I don’t want God’s help for my case.” David Brooks, meanwhile, takes faith seriously but sees the real need as a renewal of “faith in the West.”  Donald Trump, for his part, puts his hope in the willpower of freedom-loving peoples. In one of the best speeches of his first term, he roused Polish crowds with his defense of Western civilization against terrorists and tyrants—a civilization whose people “have always formed the foundation of freedom and the cornerstone of our defense.” Only free peoples joined in an alliance of sovereign and independent nations can do the job. The defense of the West, Trump said,  ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail and be successful and get what you have to have. The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost?  Many Americans do see Christianity as the answer to our predicament, but spend their time obsessing over the secondary objects that will ensure its victory. Latin mass, ecclesial authority, Calvinism (or Arminianism), cathedrals and classical art, “Christendom,” worship styles, church programs, partisan politics—such things remain contentious among Jesus followers. Yet somehow, in all these strivings, we neglect the one thing necessary for revival. Indeed, we forget it’s not a thing but a person. +++ No one saw the answer more clearly than our founder and great patriarch George Washington, whose Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1789 remains a seminal piece of Americana. Not yet sixty years old, still in the first year of his presidency, Washington had received a petition from Congress to announce a national day of thanksgiving, which he promptly did.  Penning the proclamation at his desk, the graying general reflected on the miraculous events that had brought him there. Standing at the helm of a free nation, his thoughts turned not to the Church (Anglican or otherwise), to the people he had liberated, or to the principles of the Constitution ratified eight months earlier. Instead, his mind turned in awe to the “great Lord and Ruler of Nations” who undeniably held history in the palm of his hand. “The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the Lord,” Solomon had once observed. Six years after overcoming the world’s greatest empire, Washington agreed. All nations are obliged to acknowledge God’s providence, obey his will, admit his blessings, and implore his protection. But the fledgling United States had special reason to be thankful given the “great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.” Americans wanted God to grant wisdom to world leaders, peace to all nations, opportunities to promote religion and science, and as much prosperity for as many people as possible. But considering their many blessings, they first had to beg forgiveness for their individual and national sins, knowing that divine protection and favor are linked to repentance. Only society-wide submission to “that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be” was enough to guarantee America’s future—and no amount of laws or executive orders could replace that. Christianity, liberalism, national sovereignty, and values-based alliances are vital to America’s future. But a country that forgets its God isn’t a country worth saving; indeed, it’s one that cannot be saved. The crisis of the West won’t be solved by a tradition, a liturgy, a curriculum, or a set of values that lie downstream from the real problem: a loss of faith not in our civilization but our civilization’s God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the supernatural Being and living personality who remains our only source of meaning and identity. Everything we love flows from him.  Politics are important, but can only take us so far. That’s why any plan to save America that doesn’t start with national repentance and thanksgiving before the God of our fathers is doomed to fail.  George Washington saw that and humbly responded. Will we?

On the sidelines of the economic forum Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Belgrade is a strategic partner and "ally of Russia".

The BRICS summit in Kazan today featured the meetings of the leaders of the bloc and the adoption of the BRICS Summit Declaration. In our view, there is a tangible shift towards creating new platforms in the sphere of economic cooperation

Russian companies are ready to increase fertilizer supplies to India, but the EAEU and India could conclude a free trade agreement to remove existing barriers

The Ukrainian president was betting on a Democratic victory.

American tariffs on Europe could collapse German industry.

Vitor Dominguez de Moura, a participant in the Valdai New Generation project, explores the evolution of Russia's rhetoric on BRICS from 2009 to 2023, analysing key speeches and policy statements from the Kremlin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

BRICS has arguably become the most dynamic group on the international stage as its core expansion is coupled with a significant rise in the number of developing economies that have expressed their desire to join the platform

How the objective strengthening of the continent’s global position will correlate with these pragmatic demands and whether there is room for more African voices in BRICS is discussed by Daria Zelenova, Head of the BRICS African Strategy Centre, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

Western media frustrated that Trump will begin winding down the war in Ukraine.

Even US officials say that "[medium-range] weapons will not alter the challenging situation that Kiev is currently facing". In other words, the stated goal of these deliveries, the Neo-Nazi junta's "victory", cannot be achieved, but the political West will still go ahead with it. Thus, the only logical conclusion from all this is that the deliveries of medium-range missiles and nuclear weapons are actually designed to cause an escalation with Russia regardless of the results of the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. In simpler terms, all this is just pure insanity.

WSJ’s journalists said that Ukrainian are retreating from Kursk.

Russian aggression against states like Ukraine and Georgia is often explained as a response to Western actions. However, historical evidence and even Vladimir Putin’s own statements indicate that Russia’s invasions are internally motivated, stemming from deeply rooted imperialist traditions. Whether under the Grand Duchy of Moscow, the Tsars, the Soviet Union, or the Russian Federation, Russian imperialism stems from three factors: the idea of Russia as the “third Rome,” the experience of Mongol occupation, and the country’s geography. Russia as the “Third Rome” Having been conquered by the Mongols during the thirteenth century, Russia became formally independent of the Golden Horde under Ivan III (ruled 1462-1505), during which time the notion of Russia as the “third Rome” was conceived. This was possibly inspired by the three-headed eagle that appears in the Jewish Apocalypse of Ezra, though the phrase’s origin is difficult to pinpoint. According to Dimitri Strémooukhoff, Byzantium’s imperial ideology included a strong religious element and “was stamped with a certain ‘messianism.’” This ideology was ascendent just as Slavs began converting to Christianity and the Byzantines were eager to “export” their religion to Slavic Europe. By the fall of Constantinople in 1492, the Russians were convinced that Christianity properly included a “Christian Empire.” The notion that Russia was the “third Rome” became central to the country’s self-image during the sixteenth century. In The Might of the West, Lawrence R. Brown offers a comparative perspective. Brown explains that Ivan III assembled Russia much as Clovis assembled the Frankish empire, and that “each founded the great symbol of the future society built by [his] people.” Thus, Clovis’s conversion established the Catholic Church as “the rallying point and symbol of the West.” Likewise, by marrying the Byzantine heiress Sophie Palaeologus, Ivan symbolically made Moscow “the holy city of the world, the third Rome, true and only heir of the Caesars and the basileis, guardian of the past, promise of the future.” The belief in Russia’s spiritual superiority and messianic role persisted throughout later centuries, often expressing itself in paranoia about the outside world. For instance, Russian politics in the nineteenth century already displayed some familiar pathologies. In Putinism, Walter Laqueur quotes a passage from the Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov, penned in 1892. Therein, Solovyov compares “the Russian people” to a man suffering from delusions: [H]is mind is . . . afflicted . . . by false ideas approaching folie de grandeur and a hostility toward everyone and everything. Indifferent to his real advantage, . . . he imagines dangers that do not exist. . . . It seems to him that all his neighbors offend him . . . and in every way want to harm him. He accuses everyone in his family of damaging and deserting him, of crossing over to the enemy camp. The image of Russia as sacred, immaculate, and eternally persecuted persisted into the 20th century, occurring, for instance, in the writings of the “white” (tsarist) émigré Ivan Ilyin. For Brown, it even informed the Soviet Union’s vision of “world revolution.” was underlain by the old notion that Russia embodied the correct path through history and that outsiders ought to become Russified. Since the 1990s, the “Third Rome” trope has been prominently and explicitly invoked in Russian political discourse.  Mongol Influence In The Mongols and Russia, George Vernadsky maintains that the Mongol occupation of Russia deeply shaped the country’s political system. Politics in the Kievan Rus (medieval Russia) “was based on freedom,” with “the monarchic, aristocratic, and democratic” institutions keeping each other in check. Princes were not autocratic rulers, but merely “head[s] of the executive branch.” Conversely, in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Russia, after the period of Mongol rule, nobles had been reduced to “permanent servitors of the tsar,” who also “controlled . . . the gentry’s landed estates.” Political repression was carried out through the oprichnina, serfdom was imposed, and townspeople were subjected to “heavy taxes and, in some cases, to compulsory labor.” According to Vernadsky, it was Mongol influence that rendered Russian politics so deeply autocratic. Certain political ideas and institutions were borrowed from the Mongol occupiers. Indeed, Russians during the sixteenth century saw their tsar as a successor to the khan of the Golden Horde as well as to the Byzantine emperor. Geography Arguably, geography favored Russia’s slide into autocracy from the outset. In his book Nations, Azar Gat contends that Europe has a somewhat unique history given “the near absence on this continent of hegemonic empires.” According to Gat, Europe is the only one of “the great civilizations of Eurasia” which “was never united by force from within, nor was it conquered from outside.” The Roman Empire came closest to breaking this pattern, yet it was of relatively brief duration and focused near the Mediterranean. Europe’s non-imperial past has endowed it with “a greater tradition of freedom” than one finds elsewhere. This is because the absence of empires has prevented the rise of the so-called “oriental despotism” wherein both nobles and commoners are disempowered by a central autocracy. As Montesquieu first described, Europe has been relatively free of empires because rivers, seas, and mountains render it more geographically fragmented than Asia. The exception, of course, is Europe’s wide, flat eastern extremity. There are surely other reasons for Europe’s unusual liberalism. Still, Montesquieu and Gat’s explanation is compelling. Russia’s less fractured territory, marked by vast plains and steppes, seems to be one reason why sprawling multinational empires have been so prominent in the country’s history. First it was the Mongols’ empire, later Russia’s own. Gat argues that Europe’s freedom-loving environment and lack of an imperial history made the nation-state especially prevalent on the continent during the modern period. By extension, the lack of these conditions can explain why the modern ideal of the nation-state came to Russia fairly late and found infertile ground when it got there. Indeed, the ideal of national self-determination seems never quite to have caught on in Russia. In 1911, Vladimir Jabotinsky quipped that many Russians simply could not understand Taras Shevchenko, the Ukrainians’ national poet: “This Shevchenko person knew Russian extremely well, could write the same exact poems in Russian―the lingua franca―but for some stubborn reason wrote them in Ukrainian.” The Present Today, the Russian imperialist project lives on. In moments of candor, Russia’s leaders justify their expansionism in transparently imperialist terms. As Aris Roussinos shows, Vladimir Putin’s essay “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians” reflects a typically imperial worldview, to which the concept of national self-determination is utterly alien. Also significant is Putin’s 2005 statement that “the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.” This remark clearly bespoke a desire to see Russia’s imperialist history be continued, and the subsequent invasions of Georgia and Ukraine logically follow from it. Nor could it be argued that Putin’s Soviet nostalgia arises from some latent communist convictions. Rather, Putin shares Brown’s view of the USSR as yet another phase in Russia’s imperial history and remembers it fondly on that basis. None of the above is meant to suggest that despotism and imperialism are Russia’s inescapable destiny. In a 1915 essay, Maxim Gorky wrote that Russians had “two souls”: the fatalistic, servile Eastern one fomented by Mongol influence and the individualistic Western one. Needless to say, he held that the latter should be more fully embraced.

Founded by members of shadowy Catholic organisation Opus Dei, the AFI has become one of Guatemala’s most influential groups

The BRICS emerging-market powers — the acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has gone from a slogan dreamed up at an investment bank two decades ago to a real-world club that controls a multilateral lender

The group's economic strength positions it as a key player in future global governance

For decades, the United States has dominated the global economy, wielding significant influence over international trade and finance. However, with the rise of emerging economies, particularly the BRICS nations, a new force is challenging the US economic hegemony

The case clearly shows that NATO does not plan to de-escalate the conflict with Russia.

The German military is attempting to catch up on new types of warfare.

Sociology professor Samuel Perry’s new book Religion for Realists: Why We All Need the Scientific Study of Religion isn’t the first time a Protestant intellectual has attempted to articulate a “realist” view on religion. The most prominent example before him comes from the Christian Realist school of thought advanced by the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (who identified its progenitors in Augustine and Luther), which pushed against the utopian Social Gospel adherents of his day in favor of a Christian worldview that understood the limitations of humans’ fallen natures. Perry, on the other hand, bases his “realism” not on theological but on sociological grounds, arguing that religion should not be understood as freely-chosen forms of faith but rather as tribal identities and social structures. Both forms of realism involve an acknowledgment of human limitations: Niebuhrian realism teaches that humans are limited by our sinful nature, while Perry’s realism teaches that humans are limited by the way we imagine ourselves as rational individuals. The core of Perry’s claim, articulated over four chapters, is that the standard way we Americans understand religion is wrong compared to his “realist” view on religion. Americans typically believe that religion is about individuals coming to faith or adhering to doctrine, but in reality, Perry argues, religion is about groups forming tribal identities: that it “orients us within our in-group and it clothes ‘our people’ and ‘how we do things’ with transcendence and eternal, cosmic significance.” Perry writes that understanding religion primarily as a matter of individual faith is a very Anglo-Protestant perspective and does not reflect how most people view religion. Perry invokes the psychologist Jonathan Haidt’s research about human reasoning, noting that humans see ourselves as rational creatures who hold our beliefs due to logical thinking, when in reality we form our beliefs due to gut reactions and group affiliations and work backwards to rationalize those beliefs. This is not a new claim, and Perry quotes H. Richard Niebuhr, writing back in 1929, that religious schisms are primarily about concerns like nationality, race, and class rather than theological disagreements. Perry devotes an entire chapter of the book to discussing how the evangelical adoption movement of the 2000s did not actually lead to an increase in adoption rates, and that the evangelicals who did adopt children were almost always those who were infertile and wanted to have a big family like other evangelicals. In other words, the entire movement was simply a posthoc rationalization for the already existing adoptive practices of infertile evangelical couples and did not actually reflect any adherence to theology, nor did the movement actually do much to increase adoption rates, yet both evangelicals and outsiders believed in this narrative wholeheartedly. Using this “realist” conception of religion, Perry points out that shifts in religious identification have more to do with birthrates and demographic change than any changes in theology. One data trend he uses is that Sweden will be 31% Muslim by 2050 if current birthrate, migration, and (de)conversion trends hold. Perry claims that religious people are often happier than secular people, not because they are comforted by the idea of a loving Creator, but because religion provides networks for deep social relationships to form. Perry also notes that “Thought-leaders on the far-right around the world, it turns out, are better students of how religion actually works because they are less invested in Anglo-Protestant ideals and narratives about personal faith and spiritual realities.” In other words, those we imagine as “Christian nationalists” do actually understand religion as Perry claims it really is: not as individuals gathered around a set of beliefs, but as the way groups adhere to beliefs to achieve social cohesion. Considering that Perry has been writing against Christian nationalism for years now, this is a bold claim for him to make, and one that he claims is necessary to actually understand how Christian nationalism functions. Of course, not all practitioners of “religion for realists” have authoritarian ambitions. I was recently at a dinner where the editor of a Mormon magazine ordered a Pepsi. I asked him why he was allowed to drink Pepsi but not coffee and tea, considering that all three were caffeinated drinks. Instead of responding on doctrinal grounds, perhaps by pointing out that Joseph Smith’s claimed revelation from God only forbade Mormons to drink “hot drinks” and thus does not include caffeinated sodas, he simply replied that such rules were about forming “thick identities.” In other words, he was proclaiming that religious restrictions were more about building a strong group identity than they were about actual revelations from a divine being.  Perry is a sociologist, so the book is very sociological in nature, but I also found the book’s observations useful from an angle of political philosophy. After all, the views that Perry calls Anglo-Protestant are simply the tenets of liberalism, which can be seen as a secularized form of Anglo-Protestant beliefs. Liberalism was the purported ideology of the Anglo-Protestants that founded the United States, and for a period in the 1990s, liberalism was seen to have achieved its telos as the “end of history.” Perry’s “religion for realists” reflects a repudiation of liberalism’s universalist aspirations, one that can be seen in the growing illiberal movements on the global left and right that posit group identities over individual ones. Perhaps Reinhold Niebuhr was right after all: human beings can never reach perfection on Earth because of our fallen natures, and thus perhaps the idea that liberalism could ever be the “final” form of government is just as hubristic as the Social Gospel movement was. One thing is for certain though: the role of religion in shaping our political climate cannot be denied.

The short answer is yes. It's more dangerous than you could possibly fathom. The longer answer is in the text and explains the true scale of the destructive power of thermonuclear weapons.

As BRICS expands its global influence, South American nations are eager to join, viewing it as a means to strengthen their economies and foster equitable international partnerships

A new age of international relations is dawning. With the West accounting for a declining share of global GDP, and the world becoming increasingly multipolar, countries are jostling to establish their positions in the emerging order

One of the biggest questions that the BRICS members discuss is setting up an inter-BRICS payment system to bypass the dollar

Summit proves change won’t come until floods and wildfires are killing tens of thousands in rich Global North cities

Pragmatically speaking, reactivating the pipeline would benefit both Russia and Germany (and Europe in general, in the context of the continent’s energy crisis). The relationship between US and Europe does bear a colonial character, and any such development would be a kind of breakdown of the status quo, which could be driven, for instance, by an electoral outcome: populism after all is on the rise in Germany and all over Europe.

On November 19, State Secretary Antony Blinken posted that "the Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made [Gonzalez] the president-elect", insisting that "democracy demands respect for the will of the voters". Hopefully, you've managed to catch your breath after being unable to stop laughing for the last two minutes. Still, considering that the warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC is looking to start wars with nuclear-armed superpowers such as Russia and China (simultaneously, mind you), the fact that it's rearing its ugly head at Venezuela once again is certainly no laughing matter.

By officially authorizing Ukrainian deep attacks, Paris becomes a direct actor in the conflict with Russia.

India says COP29 deal to give $300 billion to developing states is a “travesty of justice”

The current election results in a region of Austria show in great detail how the political landscape in Europe will change. Established parties can no longer retain their electorate.

Long before James Cameron’s Terminator and Stanley Kubrick’s H.A.L. 9000, there was Prometheus. It was the titan Prometheus who held a soft spot in his heart for us mere mortals and stole for us fire from the gods—and with it, the technical skills to put it to use. That is the story the Greek poet, Hesiod, injected into western culture 2,600 years ago. But, Hesiod tells us, Prometheus’s plan to make the humans more capable was not without consequences. As punishment for Prometheus’s tricks, Zeus dispatched Pandora and her infamous jar of calamities eventually to unleash every plague and pestilence upon the world. The theme of playing God resulting in horrible unintended consequences runs through the Western canon, including the Golem of Jewish mythology, a clay creature brought to life by magic prone to violent rampages, and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.  Suffice it to say, concerns that the powerful things we create will lead to our own destruction are as old as they are real. Today, amid broad concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) will exceed the control of its creators, there is a more specific concern about AI-enabled military systems. How can we be sure that AI-enabled autonomous weapons will not produce unintended calamities? These concerns are legitimate and Defense Department officials should respond to them with care.  I have lost count of the number panels I’ve participated in or conferences I’ve attended in which a DoD official—either in or out of uniform—has reassured audiences concerned about the prospect of AI-enabled systems making targeting decisions by offering some variation on: “don’t worry, it’s DoD policy that we’ll always have a human in-the-loop.”  The problem, of course, is that this is not now, nor has it ever been, DoD policy.  I can understand the appeal of the “human in-the-loop” framing. People are worried about AI-enabled weapons systems and particularly the prospect of autonomous weapons run amok. But requiring a “human in-the-loop” is not the right constraint against such a future.  When technical professionals—both inside and outside of the Pentagon—talk about artificial intelligence, they are generally not talking about some yet-to-be achieved human-like cognition. They do not have in mind artificial general intelligence. Instead, they are referring to a family of computer science techniques that have been developed over the last few decades. In the 2020s, generally, professionals most often use “AI” to refer to the deep learning statistical prediction techniques that have exploded since 2012—an explosion made possible by the combination of parallel processing in graphic processing units developed originally for the gaming industry and ubiquitous “big data” available through the internet.  Given this technological background, when Pentagon officials refer to AI-enabled lethal autonomous weapons systems, they’re usually talking about employing statistical predictions techniques like deep learning to enable combat effects.  Given the fears about Terminators and our creations turning on us, the “human in-the-loop” framing is understandable, but this language muddles more than it clarifies. The “loop” language is, at best, ambiguous and, at worst, misleading.  The “in the loop” language is ambiguous in that many who use it fail to define precisely which loop is under consideration. Think of what we now consider to be “legacy” weapons technology: the advanced medium range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM)—a weapon that entered service in 1991. When US Air Force fighter pilots employ this missile, they first use their aircraft’s radar to identify an airborne “track” and determine through various means that the track is “hostile.” The pilot releases the missile and then the missile takes over. It flies to a pre-determined volume of space and emits energy with its own onboard radar. It picks up the “track” and then it calculates the best intercept geometry to target and destroy the hostile track.  Is the AMRAAM a lethal autonomous weapons system? Is there a human in the loop? Well, it depends entirely upon where we draw the loop. If we are referring to the AMRAAM’s ability to choose the best course to intercept the track, then it is a human out-of-the-loop system. But if we draw the loop so that it includes the human pilot’s decision to release the weapon (and to target the track), then it is a human in-the-loop system. Whether the “human in the loop” language can serve as a frame for thinking about the ethics of autonomous weapons systems depends entirely upon which loop is at stake. And on this question, many who use the “in the loop” language are silent.  In general, unless we are careful to define which loop we have in mind, saying that some system is “human in-the-loop” or “on-the-loop” or “out-of-the-loop” is deeply ambiguous.  But there is another, more fundamental, reason to reject the “in-the-loop” language. Linguistically, defining the human’s role in relation to the machine control loop inherently prioritizes the machine’s role rather than the human’s. It suggests that there is some preexisting task that the machine will perform and then we can define the human’s role relative to that preexisting machine role. But this is the wrong prioritization.  If those who paraphrase Clausewitz are right that war is a human endeavor, we would do well to define first the task of the human and then to ask where, in relation to the human task, is the machine best positioned to help. (Several co-authors and I have made this argument at greater length elsewhere).  Given these arguments for avoiding the “in-the-loop” language, it makes some sense that the DoD has not committed itself always to having a human in-the-loop in autonomous weapons systems.   There is one exception. In all of DoD strategy and policy, there is only one mention of a human in-the-loop. The 2022 Nuclear Posture Review states: “In all cases, the United States will maintain a human ‘in the loop’ for all actions critical to informing and executing decision by the President to initiate and terminate nuclear weapon employment.” We will always have a human in the loop when it comes to nuclear weapons.  If DoD policy doesn’t commit us to having a human in the loop for non-nuclear weapons, then what does it commit us to?  DOD Directive 3000.09 “Autonomy in Weapons Systems,” defines an autonomous weapons system as “a weapons system that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by an operator.” It requires that any autonomous weapon developed within the DoD “will be designed to allow commanders and operators to exercise appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force.”  Though what, exactly, counts as “appropriate levels of human judgment” is not specifically defined, the tri-chair panel of senior leaders who must make the determination is defined. DODD 3000.09 requires that autonomous weapons undergo a review twice in the system lifecycle, once before formal development and again before fielding. The senior leader review panel consists of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (USD(P)); the Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)), and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS).  This review process is not the only backstop to prevent the irresponsible development or employment of autonomous systems, it is just the policy that is specific to autonomous systems. As DODD 3000.09 makes clear, those who authorize or employ autonomous weapons systems are still responsible for ensuring compliance with the “law of war, applicable treaties, weapon system safety rules, and applicable rules of engagement.”  Lethal autonomous weapons systems admittedly impose novel risks. But all new weapons do that. The question for those working in military AI and in military ethics to answer is: how do we develop novel weapons systems that enable commanders and operators to submit to the laws of war? And this is a point 3000.09 makes explicitly. 

The BRICS group has become a major political force in the last two decades, building on its desire to create a counterweight to Western influence in global institutions

In terms of the functioning of the "Oreshnik's" warhead, the available footage shows at least 30 smaller projectiles divided into five groups (six in each). The lack of visible detonations suggests these are probably advanced kinetic penetrators capable of annihilating heavily defended and dug-in positions. This means that any NATO base anywhere in Europe and/or elsewhere would be in range, but Russia wouldn't need to rely on its thermonuclear arsenal to deter aggression.

Back in July, BRICS announced the intention to create a new payment system to rival SWIFT and further the bloc’s stated goal of de-dollarization

The current geopolitical environment is elevating BRICS into a cornerstone of Russian foreign policy. Having ruptured political and economic ties with the West, Moscow is actively re-orienting itself towards political and economic partnerships with the Global South

Jonathan Reynolds told the investment bank that he looked forward to working together to “change the face of our UK”

Tensions between Argentina and Brazil are expected to deepen.

Ukraine is reportedly asking for US Tomahawk missiles.

The incumbent Brazilian administration might be left with no choice other than to turn “anti-American” and to seek to further enhance its partnerships with actors such as China.

After an anti-smuggling law was repealed, much of smuggling was decriminalised – research suggests migrants are safer

After we published op-eds from opposing sides of assisted dying debate, many readers wrote in to give their opinion

Are we heading for an alternative international order? What are the strategic advantages of the BRICS+? Can they embody the voice of the global South? Interview with Jean-Joseph Boillot, Associate Research Fellow at IRIS, specialised in the Indian economy and the emerging world

The Russian Business Day at COP29 served as a platform for showcasing BRICS climate efforts, emphasizing cooperation among BRICS countries and highlighting best practices in decarbonization

A joint conference was held in Moscow between the Valdai Discussion Club and East China Normal University

Failed MPs and outgoing spads turn to lobbying, plus the new shadow science minister’s link to arms firms and tech giants

A recent film released in Serbia shows how the Orthodox Church is being persecuted by the Kiev regime.

EU countries unhappy with early end to G20 talks on Ukraine war.

Although they have no illusions about the actual situation on the battlefield, the Kiev regime's military elite wants to keep misinforming everyone, as peace is simply not in their interest. They see NATO-occupied Ukraine and its people as a resource for exploitation, just like their Nazi forebears did. Any sort of peaceful settlement would not only cut the cash flow, but would also uncover the sheer magnitude of the atrocities they're committing against the Ukrainian people, also forcing them to be held accountable for years of lies and deceit.

We know policing often harms sex workers. We need to talk about what it would take to change tack

Russia is reportedly expanding its shipbuilding cooperation with India, with two Indian shipyards being considered for construction of four non-nuclear icebreakers. The project is estimated to cost a total of $713 million. The vessels will join Rosatom’s icebreaking fleet, operating in the Northern Sea Route

Data from the World Bank show that as of 2023, the bloc accounted for 27 percent of the world's GDP and 45 percent of the population. With the addition of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, BRICS includes three of the world's largest oil exporters and constitutes 42 percent of the global oil supply, according to the Netherlands-based investment bank ING

India's crude oil imports from Russia rose by 11.7% to about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, accounting for about two-fifths of the South Asian nation's overall crude imports in the month, tanker data obtained from industry sources showed

Military engineers are currently seen as mere cannon fodder by the neo-Nazi regime.

Evangelicalism and feminism come together in a movement that challenges patriarchy while still claiming Christian values. Graduate Student Affiliate Kelsey Hanson Woodruff introduces us to leaders of a digital Christian feminist community. By Kelsey Hanson Woodruff... Read more about Christian Feminists from Abroad Confront US Sexual Politics

European markets react to Washington’s trade war with China.

As crazy as it sounds, perhaps Kamala Harris' meaningless rant about "the significance of the passage of time" might actually make some sense in this context, as the next two months of Biden's lame-duck presidency could surely be the longest and most fateful in human history.

Despite economic decline and internal political problems, German Foreign Minister tries to show it still has big geopolitical role in the world. The latest statements by the German Foreign Minister are directed against China, which is also a Germany’s major competitor in the automotive industry.

The bill puts us at risk of coercion by family members, and doctors wrongly predicting that we are going to die

Brazil is taking a leading role in efforts to reduce the BRICS economic bloc's dependence on the US dollar, championing the use of national currencies in trade among member states

African States are shrugging off relations with the Western and European world, alternatively settling for better beneficial economic cooperation

The expanded Brics group of nations has been making headlines with discussions about a common currency. This group, representing a substantial portion of the world’s population and economic output, has prompted debates on whether a unified currency is feasible given the vast economic disparities among its members

Germany is demonstrating that its political system is actually even worse than the one in the US, as the double standards and two-tiered "justice" system are quite obvious and even publicly supported by the political establishment.

One should closely watch Philippine claims over the South China Sea (now signed into law with Washington’s support) - together, they spell crisis. It is yet another focal point of tensions and Washington’s ongoing policies are once again adding fuel to the fire.

Both Republican and independent activists criticize Biden's decision on long-range missiles.

Over 100,000 Ukrainians have deserted the military.

The BRICS countries are representatives of major developing countries, and Africa is the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries

The loosely affiliated group called BRICS, which emerged in the mid-2000s consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and later South Africa, faces mounting challenges as it continues to expand

The expanded BRICS represents about 45% of the world’s population, USD 28.5 trillion of global gross domestic product (GDP) — which is about USD 100 trillion — and around 45% of global oil production

The NYT is essential for the promotion of the Neo-Nazi junta's narrative, which explains the rather unclear information in the "hit piece". Namely, Biden was never quoted saying or approving anything. Worse yet, not a single name of the "US officials" quoted in the report was provided. In fact, not even the terms such as "anonymous" or "unnamed" are used. All we have is "US officials", which is unprofessional reporting, at best.

Despite being irresponsible and warmonger, Scholz knows that he is a weak and unpopular political leader, completely unable to deal with the consequences of unrestricted war.

As a result of sanctions against Russia, Europe's economic situation has worsened in recent years. But now there is another bad development in energy policy.

Jaishankar continues working on Russia-Ukraine dialogue despite Biden imposing sanctions.

Tunisian authorities have targeted civil society actors for ‘financial crimes’ and brutally deported refugees

Noel Conway wanted to die with dignity, yet he died slowly in pain. This month MPs can finally help others like him

Actively respond to changes in India's perception of the BRICS cooperation mechanism

They buy chocolate products, finished flour-based products and much more from Moscow producers

It was the 16th official BRICS Summit with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates attended for the first time as official members

Plus, what does the Democratic Party need to do to win in 2028?

According to the Washington Post, European leaders are planning to establish a peace plan in addition to Trump’s proposals.

Despite attempts at reform, the Kafala system in Gulf countries is still custom-built to exploit workers

The average age of Ukrainian conscriptions is already above 40 in several brigades.

Footage shows massive 170 mm artillery piece "Juche Cannon" being transported on railcars somewhere in Russia (possibly in Krasnoyarsk). Its maximum firing range is 40-60 km, depending on the type of munitions used. Moscow's military industry most likely upgraded both the gun and its munitions, meaning that it" is certainly bad news for the Neo-Nazi junta.

Over the last five years, geopolitical considerations have taken an unprecedented place on the European Union's agenda. Its foreign policy, long in its fledgling stages, is finally beginning to take shape, even if it is still subject to the unanimous decisions of its Member States

The 2024 BRICS Summit will attract worldwide attention for four reasons: First, 2024 is the first year of BRICS cooperation; Second, Russia, which is Mired in geopolitical conflicts, has become the rotating chair, which is the first time for Russia to host a major international multilateral conference in its own country

The BRICS Summit 2024 makes it clear that members must align their positions if they seek tangible outcomes

Macron and Keir Starmer are now making a last-ditch effort to get the lame-duck Biden administration to officially green-light long-range strikes using NATO-sourced weapons. Talks on the issue took place in Paris, with both the UK and France adamant to see the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict escalate, especially before Trump takes office, as he repeatedly made it clear that he has other priorities.

While Trump has named “outsiders” for key positions, the choice of Latin America hawk Marco Rubio seems to “balance” them. No one can be sure Trump will actually deliver a more restrained foreign policy, but he is attempting to tame the intelligence services. Problem is whenever a US President attempted to tame them, it never ended well.

According to local sources, Ukrainian commandos are giving instructions and special weapons to Islamist militants in Syria’s Idlib region.

Elements of Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” piqued the interest of the president-elect.

Simply put, the majority of the world does not want or accept U.S. hegemony, and is prepared to face it down rather than submit to its dictates

There is a strong possibility of India-Russia bilateral trade attaining the $100 billion target by 2030, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said

The Bank of Russia held a seminar for BRICS central banks in Brazil and presented possible areas of their cooperation in financing sustainable development

"There's one promise left that [Biden] could fulfill: being a transitional figure. He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris President of the United States," Simmons said, adding: "Democrats have to learn drama and transparency and doing things that the public will want to see. This is the moment to change the entire perspective of how Democrats operate."

Despite his public change of speech, Rubio is unlikely to act in favor of peace with Russia.

Trump will take aim at Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production.

Social media can sway political opinion, and it can also cross a line. Hadas Zur closely examines a neighborhood case where politics and violence become intertwined and are propagated by social media. Content warning: some of the images in this post show the aftermath of violent acts. By Hadas Zur... Read more about How Digitization is Changing Urban Politics

Brazilian former president talked about dollar US hegemony, BRICS Bank and growing far right

Russia, currently holding the rotating presidency of the BRICS group of emerging economies, has urged member countries to create an alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to counter Western political pressure

After expanding from five to 10 member countries, BRICS has entered the "Greater BRICS" cooperation track. Recent reports in dicate that Cuba and Syria have applied to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism

Unfortunately, since the political West is led by warmongering oligarchies in Washington DC and Brussels, the possibility of total annihilation of NATO is the only way to ensure global peace, as Bauer himself admitted.

Trump is seen as an enemy by all established liberal politicians in Europe. It is exactly the opposite society that Europe's elites want. But most of Donald Trump's voters represent political goals of the patriotic forces in Europe.

Investigation shows crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis in key Donbass city since 2014.

Pentagon establishment fears Trump will do “irreparable damage”.

In January 2024, BRICS, the influential bloc of emerging economies, expanded its membership by welcoming four new countries-Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-with Saudi Arabia also in the process of joining. The inclusion of Egypt and Ethiopia into the group marks a critical moment for Africa, as these two regional powerhouses are now poised to significantly shape not only the continent’s economic and political future but also their roles in global geopolitics

As the world closely watched the American presidential elections, the reason is clear: while around 240 million Americans have the right to vote, billions of people worldwide, who lack that right, are still affected by the election’s outcome

On paper, BRICS is a heavy hitter. But differing goals could make the road ahead bumpy

Despite signaling some degree of “restraint” in foreign policy, when it comes to Latin America, one should not expect from Trump’s new presidency anything other than the good old Big Stick approach.

The involvement of numerous Polish airports and airbases in the Neo-Nazi junta's strategic airlift operations shows the extent of Warsaw's support. However, instead of worrying about the potential consequences of this, the political West is concerned about the "control of geospatial data and its impact on modern military operations".

However, such a plan leads the country to a military and strategic impasse.

Trump’s victory has Borrell worried about the future of support for Ukraine.

The grouping has eventually evolved into an actual geopolitical bloc, with their governments meeting annually aimed at coordinating multilateral policies through formal Summits since 2009. Currently, bilateral relations among BRICS are conducted mainly based on non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit

The combined economic output of the BRICS+ countries is projected to surpass that of the G7 nations by 2045, according to a global economic forecast by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of The Economist Group

The BRICS summit in Kazan triggered further waves of discussions on possible expansion as well as the key priorities of the bloc going forward. In this regard, it was particularly important this year to hear the voice of the population of the countries of the Global South on how BRICS is perceived and which of its initiatives are supported the most

The Harris campaign "blew through a billion dollars in a few months", the largest amount of which was wasted on celebrity concerts. Over the same period, the Trump campaign got $392 million and spent $345 million, meaning that it managed to save nearly $50 million and also win the election. In addition, the Democrats wasted another $1.1 billion on "aired advertising and associated reservations". The DNC's financial appetites are very well known, as evidenced by numerous scandals involving the funneling of the so-called "Ukraine aid".

According to Olaf Scholz himself, Ukraine aid was the main reason behind collapse of the government coalition in Germany.

Manpower shortages are at the heart of Ukrainian retreats and Russian gains on the front.

Tensions in the Himalayas have been high since 2020. This latest deal is a step forward

At the forefront of the geoeconomic war of supply chains, economic corridors and trading routes is the dedollarisation movement spearheaded by the Brics collective

It is no wonder then that many countries have called for a reform of the UNSC, seeking to add India, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa as permanent members. This would provide greater representation and diversity in global decision-making, and would be a step towards a more democratic and inclusive system

While many of his deranged supporters in the political West are fuming, Zelensky chose a completely different strategy. Namely, he congratulated Trump "on his impressive election victory", sharing "fond memories" of their September meeting, when they "discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine". However, these outbursts of "Trumpism" are quite distasteful to most people, including Trump himself, particularly after Zelensky effectively endorsed Kamala Harris during his last visit.

The Bush-Clinton era lasted at least 28 years. Any illusions aside, in all likelihood Trump will be no match for his predecessors in terms of war-mongering, genocide and nation-destruction - and this should be good news.

Zelensky’s friendly message will not deter Trump’s plan to wind back aid to Ukraine.

Unable to solve its internal situation of chaos and political polarization, Washington tries to blame external actors.

According to the latest forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the world economy is set to rely more on the BRICS to drive growth over the next five years, and China alone will contribute 22% of global growth, bigger than all the G7 countries combined

The much-awaited BRICS heads of state meeting in Russia's Kazan did not disappoint. The multilateral institution has finally brought bite and substance to many of the global financial and political conundrums that have long-challenged a genuine reshaping of the global order

The creation of the BRICS “partnership belt” during the BRICS summit in 2024 is in some respects no less significant than the expansion in the BRICS core during the 2023 BRICS summit in South Africa. While it may be too early to discuss the exact ramifications of the BRICS expansion associated with the “partnership belt”, in sheer quantitative terms the near doubling of BRICS core membership in 2023 was followed by a more than doubling of the circle of developing economies associated with BRICS/BRICS+ in 2024

Russia continues to gain valuable experience in Ukraine while the US sits on the sidelines.

Attempts to denigrate the jet have been quite persistent, but these PR "victories" have lately become more of a burden than any real advantage. Either way, trash-talking will in no way hamper the Su-57, while its missiles will certainly trash any NATO target in Ukraine or beyond.

BRICS Summit failed to announce alternative to US dollar-dominated global payment system as Global South still deeply dependent on US markets

China's approach to smart city development offers valuable lessons for countries in the Global South

The agenda of the Youth Council’s meeting of the association includes the implementation of the Kazan Declaration of the BRICS Summit for the young generation

The exemptions are related to energy and include gas, oil, "other products capable of producing energy" (specifically coal, wood or agricultural products used to manufacture biofuels), "uranium in any form", as well as the "development, production, generation, transmission, or exchange of power, through any means, including nuclear, thermal, and renewable energy sources".

The West can very quickly turn against India as happened with Russia and China.

The opposition did not recognize Sandu’s victory due to many cases of violation against basic democratic standards.

Macron’s foreign policy turn, using the recognition of a disputed territory as a kind of quid pro quo, has further aggravated local tensions, as has Donald Trump’s decision on the same matter. From a Global South’s point of view, it is hard to describe both leaders’ decisions as anything else as Western arrogance.

The Hungarian Prime Minister's last visit to Vienna opens a new chapter in the history of the EU. From now on we will work on reforming this political construct.

The Polish government immediately reacted by suspending the very concept of so-called "military aid" and downgrading it to what Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called a "defense loan". Namely, in an interview with Polsat News, published on November 1, Sikorski stated that the Kiev regime could "buy weapons from Polish factories on credit".

What is happening now is just the beginning of a long moral crisis that will at some point certainly lead to the collapse of the Kiev regime.

Moscow doubts Trump’s election will change much in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan’s announcement to formally apply for membership in the BRICS bloc promises mutual gains for both the oil-rich nation and the group of developing economies. It also highlights Azerbaijan’s rising influence as a pivotal player in regional trade networks bridging the West and Asia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his country intends to buy shares in the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) for $1.5 billion

“One of the pillars of BRICS is politics and security. It is one of the potential areas that we will look into with our cooperation with the Russian Federation. … So our collaboration with BRICS and Russia in peace and Security of Marine security of the coastal area is very important,” new Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow, Genet Teshome, told

Ramokgopa said the expansion of the Brics membership was a clear affirmation of the group's growing significance

The 2024 expansion is the most important milestone, after which BRICS found itself at a fork in the road. It will either preserve and strengthen the quality of cooperation amid the new composition and turn into a genuine institute of global governance and dive into the formation of a more just world order, or it will become a loose and non-decision-making discussion club, participation in which is prestigious, but does not oblige its members to make any obligations or compromises, which are necessary for genuine multilateralism, Dmitry Suslov writes

Iranian nationals visiting Moscow show a strong preference for cultural sites while also engaging in shopping at the Russian capital’s markets, according to the deputy chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee

One Kiev regime official told Politico that he was puzzled by the negative coverage, as the US actually encouraged the Neo-Nazi junta to make the request for "Tomahawks", with some American military experts supposedly studying its feasibility and "giving their blessings", allegedly calling it "totally realistic".

Hungarian intelligence services recently neutralized a NATO spy plot to send some of the country’s weapons to Ukraine.

Divisions in American society are deepening.

BRICS business communities will prioritise the expedited development of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and other interregional initiatives during the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow

The National Association of Builders (NOSTROY), Russia’s largest association of self-regulatory organisations in the construction sector, is set to expand its workforce on various construction sites in the country by attracting qualified specialists from India

The share of Russia's own car brands also swelled from 20 percent to 31 percent, meaning that Chinese and Russian carmakers now account for 92 percent of the Russian car market

By welcoming post-Maidan Ukraine as one of its own, Europe denies much of the human-rights discourse that has been constructed to be the raison d'être of its key institutions. Kyiv’s efforts to realize its ethnocratic nation-building project endangers the very survival of Europe - at least in the way Western Europe has come to envision itself.

According to a Ukrainian politician, more than 100,000 have already deserted during the conflict with Russia.

The restrictions imposed by the political West jumpstarted parts of the Russian economy that were small and largely dormant (if not even non-existent prior to the SMO). As a result, Russia is experiencing what Richard Connolly, a junior research fellow at the Royal Institute of Shared Services in London and an expert on the Russian economy, called the "fastest economic growth in the last decade".

India and South Africa prioritise BRICS over the Commonwealth.

Initially formed as “BRIC” – Brazil, Russia, India, China – and subsequently becoming “BRICS”, with the addition of South Africa, this group of countries constitutes a unique coalition of emerging economies that collectively represent a significant counterbalance to the established economic powers of the West. Despite their collective identity, BRICS members are markedly different in many respects

The BRICS group is one of the most prominent emerging economic and political blocs on the global stage, especially following the announcement of expanding its membership to include countries from the Middle East and North Africa, such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, although Saudi Arabia has not yet officially joined

The stimulus unleashed by China provided a major boost to China’s market indexes, raising hopes that the country’s target of 5% growth this year could still be within reach. Amid this elation there are cautionary voices that point to the insufficiency of stimulus measures as well as the need for fiscal policy to deliver more targeted support to the economy

Desertion, conscription dodging and even the refusal to go back home by Ukrainian POWs are widespread, with the Kiev regime trying to resolve the chronic lack of manpower with far stricter forced conscription and the introduction of more NATO personnel and foreign mercenaries in general. However, these are only temporary solutions that cannot ensure the Neo-Nazi junta's survival.

The neo-Nazi regime is desperately trying to avoid any decrease in its support from Western countries.

The Ukrainian military is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign mercenaries for special ops

Russia hosted the first summit of the newly expanded BRICS club of emerging economies, with leaders agreeing a set of common projects ranging from a grain exchange to a cross-border payments system

Responding to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s call for partnerships and the institution of working relations through memoranda of understanding with Brazilian universities, a Unisa delegation led by the Executive Dean of the university’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology recently set out on a collaboration visit to Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil

The Prime Minister’s office announced this plea on Monday, September 23, 2024, during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Burkina, Igor Martynov

If hundreds of millions of Americans and Europeans knew what was actually going on, they'd certainly be against the policies their unelected bureaucratic oligarchies are imposing, both at home and abroad. Precisely this is why knowing the truth is all the more important. Unfortunately, it can indeed be dangerous to think and speak freely at this time, and we can only expect more censorship and more "thought criminals", as any deviation from the official narrative is "dangerous for our democracy".

Western mercenaries participated in Kiev’s incursion attempt against Russia’s Bryansk region.

Most Americans believe Harris will mostly continue Biden’s policies.

Global summits are about performing diplomacy and politics for domestic and international audiences

The recent Brics summit in the Russian city of Kazan was less notable for what happened at the meeting than for what happened before, on the margins, or not at all. Among the notable things that did not happen was another expansion of the organisation

The expansion of BRICS into countries that are close to the West shows how many states are hedging their bets on this non-western group of powerful economies

Controversy aside, Brazil has shown that it is possible to force BigTech into compliance. Moreover, the topic has prompted a larger national conversation on having a national social media platform - or, for that matter, a national engine search. Ultimately it is about digital sovereignty - and BRICS needs a #BricsStack too.

The current political division in European societies has created forces on the right and left. There is a lot that separates these parties, but they also have a lot in common. This situation opens up new perspectives for cooperation.

Both Turner and Kirby suggested that "if they deploy to fight against Ukraine, they’re fair game". Neither specified what exactly the Pentagon would do (much less how), but if they were indeed suggesting direct military action, the only logical conclusion is that the warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC is more out of touch than previously thought.

According to John Healey, the UK's Defense Secretary, the previous British administration affected the defense capacities of the country.

Orban blasts EU’s support for Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” and says they want to replace him.

Short of war, defamation is the Deep State's last-ditch effort to (ab)use the Trump derangement syndrome, although it seems extremely unlikely this will work. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, next week will surely be the most faithful in recent memory, as the warmongers, war criminals and plutocrats are desperately trying to claw their way back into the halls of power in the US.

In the 21st century, the Arctic region has become highly significant in terms of strategy, geopolitics, and economics. Science is playing a substantial role in the Arctic, raising global awareness about its distinct ecosystem and the ongoing geopolitical maneuvers by both Arctic and non-Arctic states

The idea of policy coordination among BRICS has clearly become more popular in the past several years and yet there is still a lack of detail and focus with respect to the possible modalities of such cooperation in the sphere of trade and macroeconomic policy

Unfortunately, bilateral trade in national currencies may impede the deepening of economic ties among BRICS countries. Hence, establishing an alternative medium of exchange is both essential and urgent

BRICS are proving to be efficient in bringing together major emerging powers and creating a multipolar geopolitical platform.

North Korean troops could be used to expel Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk region.

Uruguay’s elections have the potential to change the ideological power balance in South America, and thus pave the way for a Venezuelan come-back out of its relative isolation.

" We reiterate the importance of further enhancing BRICS solidarity and cooperation based on our mutual interests," the declaration reads

Saudi Space Agency Vice Chairman and CEO Dr. Mohammed Altamimi led the Saudi delegation to the fifth edition of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, held in Foz do Iguaçu

The Automotive Business Council’s BRICS+ Research Report 2024 has found that South Africa has not substantially benefited from its membership of the bloc, but this could change should membership be expanded

Researcher in psychology was criticized by Estonian authorities for investigating Ukrainian nationalism.

Satellite imagery shows that the "Typhon" Weapon System is deployed in Laoag. From there, "Tomahawk" cruise missiles armed with W80 thermonuclear warheads can reach some of China's most important cities, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai. This is absolutely unacceptable for Beijing, particularly as most of central China would also be in range.

The declining US economy weighs heavily on voter decision-making.

Although PM Anwar could have rested on his laurels to lead Malaysia as the Chairman of Asean and the East Asian Summit in 2025, he chose to pitch Malaysia's aspiration to join BRICS

Western-led order’s unraveling on full display as BRICS gathering in Russia gives IMF meet in US an economic reality check

Turkey tends to march to its own drum in international affairs

The BRICS economic grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are sitting in the catbird seat as the world’s wealthiest nations spend billions of dollars to transition their economies away from fossil fuels

The Guardian argues that "Putin returned to the world stage by hosting 36 leaders at the BRICS Summit". However, this "return" exists only in the "parallel reality" of the political West's microcosm. In our actual timeline, the Russian president never left the stage.

Desertion and surrender are becoming commonplace among troops.

Only two polling stations were opened by Moldovan authorities in Russia.

As the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia approaches, attention is focused on how the group will balance its growing geopolitical influence with core economic objectives. Following the 2023 expansion when six new members were invited to join, BRICS now faces the challenge of integrating these countries while refining its broader strategy

The railways of Russia, Mongolia and China have confirmed plans to increase freight traffic. The protocol on approval of plans to increase freight traffic through the Russia—Mongolia—China railway corridor was signed by the heads of the neighboring railways of the three states in the Chinese city of Hohhot

If Malaysia keeps its card close to its chest and plays it right, it has every chance to benefit from joining BRICS, a grouping of countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

China, Egypt cement partnership in infrastructure, connectivity, new energy: ambassador

While the idea that 12,000 North Korean troops will replace "massive Russian losses" (obviously proving that, in that case, the losses aren't really massive) is ridiculous, the possibility of Pyongyang sending special forces shouldn't be ruled out entirely. North Korea has a sizeable SpecOps Corps, but lacks combat experience. Thus, it's not outside of the realm of possibility that Pyongyang itself asked Moscow to send some of them to Ukraine or at least Russia, where they could train with Russian special forces.

The Kiev regime is destroying the demographics of Ukraine.

The country is absolutely polarized, mainly due to aggressive Western influence.

PODCAST | ep16 | with Damir Kapidžić, Denisa Sarajlic, and Nace Zavrl   One room. One locked-down camera. One roll of film. A group of famous directors from the 1960s took the challenge: they would make a short film with these parameters plus one more—their dialogue must include the sentence “I Miss Sonia Henie.” The result was a bawdy, ludicrous compilation that became an international classic. It’s featured in a new film retrospective called The Yugoslav Junction: Internationalism in the SFRY: 1958–1988. The Weatherhead Center is cosponsoring this program of short and long films from socialist Yugoslavia, which takes place at the Harvard Film Archive beginning November 9. Today we’re talking to the curator of the series along with two Weatherhead fellows from Bosnia and Herzegovina who will set up the political and cultural background for these rare films, and they’ll discuss three of them— one each from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Listen to episode #16 (38:39) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Rare Films from Socialist Yugoslavia

BRICS today leaves no one indifferent; its polarising influence extends to the remote corners of the world. For some, it is definitely a “bone in the throat”, while for others - the only beacon of hope in the raging ocean of our world. For still others, it is a complete working tool for reforming the existing world order. Regardless of the polarity of the assessments, no one ignores or denies the strong place of the association in international relations

Q&A with Mihaela Papa of MIT's Center for International Studies

Malaysia, as an independent and sovereign nation, is focused on maintaining diplomatic relationships with various countries across the globe, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Despite the Freedom Party's victory in the Austrian elections, leaders of other parties and the Federal President are trying to exclude the winners from participating in a government.

Pertaining to the “Israel-Ukraine dilemma”, the Jewish state is clearly the winner. The US goal thus far has been to contain the Islamic Republic of Iran without actually going to war - and it has therefore worked hard to curb the Israelis. This tension management policy is risky and may end up untenable.

As all of its other programs failed, the US is now desperate to at least match regional powers such as North Korea and Iran. What's more, the latter very likely also gave its hypersonic missiles to allies in the Middle East (specifically in Yemen), making America's embarrassment all the worse.

Kiev would never be allowed to have such weapons, neither by the West or Russia.

Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” receives mixed reactions from allies.

The BRICS summit will be held in Kazan, Russia on October 22-24, in which an important meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected. There has been no direct conversation between the two leaders after the Galwan conflict of 2020. Russia's mediation may be important in this summit

BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. As an alliance of key emerging economies, BRICS plays a significant role in the global economic landscape

“…There was another club called G7 and you won’t let anyone else enter the club. So we went on to form our club…As it started it gained a life of its own over the period of time. Others saw value in it as well…,” said Jaishankar at an event at the Global Center for Security Policy in Geneva

Even if the political West doesn't provide the means for the Kiev regime to acquire nuclear weapons, it may help them make the so-called "dirty bomb". Russia has been warning about this for years.

According to Vaclav Claus, the US should avoid the “Thucydides Traps”.

Kremlin describes Zelensky’s Victory Plan as “a collection of incoherent slogans”.

The Russian city of Kazan will host guests from 33 countries at the BRICS summit from October 22 to 24. This is the largest historical event for the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia and the entire democratic world, which is impossible to ignore — even if you really, really want to

At its forthcoming summit in Kazan, BRICS will once again reiterate that it was founded for shaping an international order that is more fair, just, inclusive, equitable and representative

Member nations are unhappy with the systemic bias against the Global South and want to reform the current order such that mutually agreed upon norms are applied equally to all nations

At the current meeting of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the new Secretary General faces a major challenge. This challenge is called “Ukraine’s NATO accession”

After years of trying to build the image of the Neo-Nazi junta as the "beacon of democracy", it seems that Zelensky, whose lionization was the primary task of the mainstream propaganda machine, is now being thrown under the bus.

With today’s Ukrainian leadership and state of affairs, the task of nation-founding with all its territorial ambitions does not seem to be achievable. And it would not be a desirable outcome in terms of local security or the human rights of a large part of the population.

Scholz’s recent words about peace sound hypocritic and banal.

Canadian PM prioritises external issues instead of his country’s many domestic problems.

BRICS+ presents India an opportunity to assert its role as the leader of the Global South to shape a multipolar and more equitable world

As is well-known, de-dollarisation has become a hot topic since 2022, when the United States and Europeans decided to block a large part of Russia’s international reserves in response to the invasion of Ukraine

Fresh of the success of its successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, India is now reportedly interested in joining Russia’s lunar nuclear power plant project. The initiative, spearheaded by Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, is part of Moscow’s bigger project of building a base on the Moon in partnership with China. But what do we know about the proposed power project?

Closer ties are being built in the cases of Russia-China, Russia-North Korea and China-North Korea. This is very reminiscent of the way the Entente was formed in decades and years before WWI, when Russia, France and the UK agreed to keep the then-nascent German expansionism in check. If the pathologically Russophobic London was able to find common ground with Moscow (or, to be precise, St. Petersburg back then), imagine the ease with which Russia, China and North Korea could form an Entente-like alliance.

Amid current tensions with Russia, Western countries are launching a major nuclear exercise, putting local security at significant risk.

The EU is slipping from being considered a great power like the US or China.

Interest countries show in bloc signals vote of confidence in it

Baku’s strategic position and aspiration to diversify its economy aligns with Beijing’s vision for Eurasian connectivity

In a move aimed at strengthening ties and boosting tourism and trade, India is prepared to introduce direct flights from Russia to two of its most popular destinations – Goa and Mumbai

As Russian forces keep advancing, they're finding evidence of war crimes by the Neo-Nazi junta. Perhaps the most concerning is the disappearance of around 1000 locals. The Kremlin has issued a formal accusation that the Neo-Nazi junta forces kidnapped 1,000 residents of the Kursk region. Russian authorities confirmed this after the relatives of the missing locals pleaded with the government to help find them.

US president says he is ready for nuclear diplomacy, but his foreign policy is actually putting at risk the entire world security architecture.

Muslim Americans begin turning their back on the Democrats.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi announced that the decision regarding the country’s potential membership in the BRICS economic bloc will be made during the next government term under President-elect Prabowo Subianto

The Western-centered post-Cold War world order resulted in the development of hierarchical state perceptions of their role and influence in the international system

Malaysia has the potential to emerge as a significant source of tourism for BRICS countries, according to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil

It seems already impossible to avoid a crisis of legitimacy from starting in Europe, considering local people’s high level of discontentment with their states’ international policies.

The Western propaganda notion that there is no such thing as an (often neo-Nazi) radical ethnic nationalism problem in Ukraine has no basis in fact. The problem is real - it has also been aided, armed, funded and whitewashed by the West and it has been a huge part of the crisis since 2014.

The support that NATO provides to the Kiev regime, especially in terms of ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) would be severely disrupted (or even negated entirely) by the Russian military, meaning that the Polish military would be effectively blind in such a conflict. This would greatly increase casualties for NATO, which is precisely why its top-ranking military officers are planning for such an eventuality.

Powerful figures in Ukraine still remain staunchly opposed to peace talks.

Minimising the number of one’s enemies while multiplying one’s number of friends is a basic principle of diplomacy that has existed for centuries. The simplicity of the principle itself is more than compensated by the complexity of its practical implementation. In international relations, the price of friendship may be too high, limiting freedom of manoeuvre, while open hostility brings existing contradictions to the limit, radically resolving them in favour of one side or another

The world appears to be increasingly moving towards a multipolar future as Western sanctions on Russia have hastened the de-dollarization trend. According to one think tank, the world order could soon see a major shake-up as BRICS countries consider using the ‘petroyuan’ for oil settlements

South Africa is introducing a new Trusted Tour Operator Scheme (TTOS), with effect from January 2025, to facilitate tourists from China and India, said the Department of Home Affairs

Despite non-functioning systems for returning illegal migrants and reintroduced border controls between EU states, an early expansion of the Schengen zone is being considered.

Poland pledges to more than double the number of professional soldiers

The Presidential Office, headed by the infamous Andriy Yermak, which is responsible for preparing such gatherings, confirmed there won't be a 'peace summit', neither this month nor the next. An adviser to Yermak also stated that the plan was simply "no longer feasible".

This measure could significantly worsen the current tensions between Russia and NATO.

Our progress in combating the global climate crisis has stagnated. This is not due to a lack of effort but because our technology for managing greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions has not kept pace with the tech advancements in other resource-intensive fields

Bolivia has reaffirmed its significant interest in becoming a member of the BRICS group, as confirmed by the country's Foreign Minister, Celinda Sosa

Azerbaijan's trade turnover with the BRICS countries saw a significant rise during the first seven months of 2024. The total trade volume between Azerbaijan and BRICS countries increased by 9.2 percent compared to the same period last year, surpassing $5.8 billion

Europe might not even be up for such a task - but in any case, off it goes. It is increasingly expected to bear all the burden and risks while the US benefits from it. And the European elites cheer such a scenario. It is no wonder political radicalism keeps rising in the continent.

The French military started a "profound transformation to be ready for a high-intensity conflict similar to the war in Ukraine" and it has "new marching orders from NATO: By 2027 it should be able to deploy a war-ready division in 30 days, including ammunition and supplies". In NATO, a division has anywhere from 10,000 to as many as 25,000 troops.

Orban shows pessimism towards Europe and calls on leaders to act immediately for peace.

Zelensky understands making any concession to Russia “would be fatal for him”.

Recently, more countries, including Azerbaijan, Malaysia, and Thailand, have applied to join the BRICS bloc, which represents the leading emerging economies worldwide. The growing prominence and appeal of this group are attracting significant attention, especially from nations in the Global South, as the BRICS Summit is set to take place at the end of October

The five BRICS nations have signed an MOU that sets up conditions for a partnership between the members of the block to establish joint carbon markets projects and targets

As geopolitical tensions escalate and new security challenges emerge, the upcoming 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan promises to be a critical turning point

Military sources indicate that Pyongyang is now building its first nuclear-powered submarine, an unprecedented development for a small country. North Korea has already accumulated significant experience in operating all sorts of submarine types, including conventionally powered ones, but armed with nuclear-tipped SLBMs.

In a recent statement, Kamala Harris emphasized she will not support any kind of dialogue with Russia without Ukrainian direct participation.

UK’s migrant numbers top those of Germany, Spain, Italy and France.

According to media reports, the German federal government is significantly reducing its economic expectations for 2024. Economics Minister Habeck expects a decline of 0.2 percent.

UAE strengthens energy ties with BRICS, driving global collaboration and sustainable growth in emerging markets

Officials from China and Africa gathered in Shanghai to launch a new initiative aimed at accelerating green development and combating climate change

Bloc set to discuss expansion at summit in Russia in October

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico promised not to accept Kiev in NATO as long as he stays in office.

For years, the mainstream propaganda machine has been reporting that Iran is a "week, month or year away from acquiring nuclear weapons". Back in July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that "instead of being at least a year away from having the breakout capacity of producing fissile material for a nuclear weapon, [Tehran] is now probably one or two weeks away". Such speculation is so common that most people simply don't pay attention to it.

Milei contradicts Argentina’s efforts to reclaim the Falkland Islands.

From April 19 to June 1, India conducted its general elections to select 543 Lok Sabha members. These elections, regarded as the world’s largest festival of democracy, involved 969 million eligible voters, approximately one-eighth of the global population. India is the fifth-largest economy and a rising global power, so its polls carry significant global importance

We have extensively covered the BRICS expansion as well as its key implications for the world economy, most notably from the viewpoint of which categories of countries would benefit the most from the enlargement of the BRICS core. One aspect, however, of this expansion that has not received sufficient attention in the discussions was the rise in the consolidated share of the expanded BRICS grouping in international organizations such as the IMF

The development of the Northern Sea Route (NSR) is currently one of Russia’s key strategic projects for the Arctic region. Given its scale and significance, developing the NSR also requires expanding international cooperation and participation in the project. Russia has been actively attracting Indian partners to find areas where the two can work together to expand the project

Already out of office, Stoltenberg finally feels free to say what he really thinks about the current war with Russia.

Turkish attempts to project itself as a regional leader (as the “voice of humanity’s conscience”, in the words of its Foreign Ministry) are part of larger ambitions that have been described as a Neo-Ottomanist agenda. Such has always faced opposition in the Middle East and beyond.

The fact that the S-70 'Okhotnik-B' was lost during a covert strike mission involving a Su-57S shows that this UCAV justified the very purpose of its existence – it's a far more expendable aircraft than a manned jet, a sentiment shared by prominent military analysts. And while the drone was lost, it provides the Russian military with invaluable combat experience that will allow the implementation of various improvements to the design before it truly enters mass production (a rather unnerving prospect for the Neo-Nazi junta).

Stoltenberg says Kiev should consider recognising the reality of territorial losses to Russia.

The volume of sunflower oil exports from Russia to India in 2024 could increase to 40% of the total import volume of this product by India. This was stated by the President of the International Sunflower Oil Association, Sandeep Bajoria

South African state logistics group Transnet agreed a 5 billion rand ($283.53 million) loan from the New Development Bank set up by the BRICS group of emerging economies

'During the meeting, both sides signed a working plan of the commission which will be implemented during 2025-26'

In her new book, Amy Austin Holmes recounts how a multiethnic coalition stopped a genocide, defied Bashar al-Assad, and then created a statelet to govern their region. Interview by Michelle Nicholasen... Read more about Survival and Self-Determination in Northeast Syria

Estonia and Finland are planning to blockade the Gulf of Finland against Russia shipping, amid an increase on NATO activity in the Baltic Sea.

Leaked documents show that several high-ranking American officials and at least one think tank took part in planning the Neo-Nazi junta's attack. Apparently, former US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul had his email hacked, revealing "peculiar" papers on the Kursk oblast incursion. Along with former US ambassador to Uzbekistan and Ukraine John Herbst, McFaul was invited to take part in a wargame organized by the Atlantic Council, a rabidly warmongering think tank based in Washington DC.

Zelensky once again called on NATO for an increase in the military assistance program.

Yet the Kiev regime claims that it is the Kremlin who is not opening to negotiations.

South Africa, as a key player in the global economy, has been a member of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) bloc since its inception in 2009 hence the acronym BRICS

India and Russia discussed utilizing space monitoring technologies for risk forecasting and emergency response at their joint commission meeting on emergency management in Moscow. They signed a working plan for 2025-26, focusing on disaster management cooperation, including training rescue specialists, and agreed to intensify joint efforts for enhanced early warning systems and capacity building

With its packed agenda and new initiatives, Russia’s BRICS Chairmanship has set the stage for a memorable and impactful summit in Kazan. The event promises to strengthen ties among BRICS nations and drive cooperation in various areas, shaping the future of global collaboration

“German Unity Day” is celebrated on October 3rd, but this year there is not much of the spirit and atmosphere of back then. The current political developments in Germany are also being observed very critically internationally.

What is this "victory plan" about? It wouldn't be the first time that the Neo-Nazi junta is claiming that it can "win", but it "just needs this one game changer". So far, only nuclear weapons and aircraft carriers haven't been delivered to its forces. However, nothing worked, so how would this new "plan" turn the tide? Russian offensive capabilities only keep growing, with a deadly combination of artillery dominance and air superiority aided by unrivaled long-range strike systems. Not even NATO itself can match that, let alone the battered Kiev regime forces.

According to Poland’s Defense Minister, Ukrainian have “no memory” about his country’s war efforts to support Kiev.

Russia backs India’s pursuit of permanent membership in the UNSC.

An “alternative” monetary fund to the IMF has been created, but, ironically, it needs the IMF’s blessing to be used. It was created in a different context than today’s, in which we had yet to experience such a sharpening of the contradictions between the imperialist powers and the global majority. But history demands a change, writes Marco Fernandes, editor at Wenhua Zongheng International

Algeria intends to join BRICS and bring ties with the association's countries to a new level

The main message of those summits – a call for a fairer, more democratic and more harmonious world order, as well as the principle of strengthening the role and influence of the non-Western world in global affairs, remains quite relevant today, writes Oleg Barabanov

There's only a bit over a month before the election, meaning that the Deep State is desperate to ensure at least one more war is launched. This is not to say that Trump is the solution to all of the world's problems or that he'll stop all wars, but if his first presidency is anything to go by, we know he's not too keen on starting new wars, which certainly makes him the lesser of two evils. However, if Trump is to change anything (provided his determination is as solid as he claims it is), he'll have to contend with thousands of war junkies in Washington DC.

NATO officials start pressuring for member states to authorize the use of long-range missiles in “deep strikes” against the Russian Federation.

This winter will be the most difficult Ukraine will have experienced since World War II.

From Oct. 22-24, Russia will host the annual Brics summit in the city of Kazan. This meeting is intended to create an organization which, by mandate and structure, can challenge the US-led, rules-based international order and, in doing so, look to supplant US unilateralism with a multipolar reality that will define global geopolitics for the next century

In emulating the progress attained by developed economies, the countries of the Global South may explore the pros and cons of country-specific modernization models such as Australia that delivered the longest streak of growth without a recession in 1991-2020 among the advanced economies

In the first half of 2024, India has significantly increased its diamond imports from Russia, defying global trends and reaffirming the strength of the bilateral trade relationship between the two nations. According to data analysis, diamond exports from Russia to India surged by 22% compared to the same period last year

According to the WSJ, US officials were not “impressed” by Ukraine’s new “victory plan”.

Turkey might be desperate and at least allow the US to inspect the S-400s. A possible loophole for Ankara might be to allow American inspections on Turkish territory, possibly at US bases in the country, particularly the Incirlik Air Base which is largely under USAF control (even nuclear weapons are stored there). This could be an alternative to transferring the S-400 directly to other NATO member states.

Biden’s great gaff in the Ukraine War has only strengthened Russia.

One key contention is that BRICS is seen as a force that “antagonises the West’s hegemony”

Ethiopia’s Health Minister, Dr. Mekdes Daba, met with a delegation from India, led by Ambassador Anil Kumar Rai, to discuss deepening cooperation in healthcare between the two nations

Several months ago we postulated a BRICS+ business model for companies that explored the scope for exploiting the BRICS diverse presence in the main regions of the developing world

Contrary to Western propaganda, Moscow has actually sought to cooperate with the West since the nineties, time again being betrayed by the West in the process.

Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank admitted that NATO will be unable to maintain air superiority over the frontlines in a conflict with Russia, which is the cornerstone of the political West's military strategy. He explained how it would be completely different from the illegal NATO invasions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

International organizations are becoming unable to keep humanitarian assistance due to prolongation of the conflict.

Even if the FPÖ does not enter government, the party has a strong opportunity to do a good job in parliament. It can now continue to build up its structures and will also have good position in the regional elections.

Zelensky insists on pushing the delusional 10-point “peace” plan.

During January-July 2024, Azerbaijan's trade turnover with BRICS countries amounted to USD 5 billion 837,895 million, according to calculations made by APA-Economics based on the report of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan

India is paying increasing attention to the Arctic region, as evidenced by the discussion of Arctic issues during the talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Russia in early July

Flight HU765 departed from Haikou Meilan International Airport in Haikou City, south China's Hainan Province, marking the launch of a new air route linking the Chinese city with Moscow

US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell is whining about Sino-Russian ties and laments about drones and unmanned technologies in general, saying that "we see the role of UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] and other capacities that are penetrating the Ukrainian airspace", insisting that "much of that has been supported surreptitiously by China" and that this "raises serious concerns". Obviously, the US and NATO nearly causing thermonuclear war is "far less concerning" than Beijing selling FPV drones.

In a recent interview with local journalists, the Ukrainian Defense Minister accidentally admitted that Ukraine's war situation is absolutely unviable, given the high level of foreign dependence.

Controversy over lifting restrictions on the use of weapons supplied to Kiev divides the West.

In recent years, the BRICS coalition-comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-has garnered significant attention from the Global South. Countries from various regions, particularly in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America, are increasingly expressing interest in joining this bloc

Yevgeny Primakov’s idea of India, Russia and China playing a balancing role in the post-Cold War era was ahead of its time. But as recent moves show, it’s worth revisiting now

Chile's government has expressed willingness to join BRICS

Poland is angered over Ukrainian offensive attitudes towards the topic of Volhynia massacre victims and burial. Post-Maidan Ukraine is already a far-right regime while Poland is undergoing its own nationalist revival and once again this ideological factor is bound to cripple Ukrainian-Polish relations.

Only when it's faced with the prospect of complete annihilation, the political West starts behaving in a somewhat less barbaric way.

The entire EU is in a situation of absolute dependence on the US which in turn does not seem interested in helping its European “partners”, but in making them even more geopolitically vulnerable.

Waves of sanctions have failed to halt trade with Russia.

Way back in 2012, Zbigniew Brezezzinski wrote about “the receding West” in his book Strategic Vision and argued that “the long-lasting political domination of the world by the West has been fading for some decades.”

Over the past several years, we have observed an increasing rapprochement between Russia and Iran in different areas - political, geostrategic, military, economic, trade and transport. It is not only notable at the level of rhetoric; it is also being expressed in concrete steps. However, we see that a series of visits by Russian delegations to Tehran have produced limited results. What could this be connected with? How can one explain the distance that still exists between the two countries?

The New Development Bank (NDB) plays a pivotal role in global trade and Africa’s development, Independent Media chairman Dr Iqbal Survé said in an interview with IOL ahead of the NDB’s annual meeting in Cape Town

Although the Green Party is involved in the German federal government, it is losing more and more votes. And despite the fact that the party benefits from current media issues such as climate change, it does not achieve any democratic success.

NATO already suffered a crushing and humiliating defeat in Afghanistan after 20 years of truly unprovoked aggression. As it can't defeat Russia in Ukraine, it's desperate to achieve at least one victory and tiny Serbia seems like the perfect target. This is hardly surprising, as NATO is largely composed of vultures and cowards who'd never dare to directly attack a near-peer adversary.

Due to the invasion of Ukrainian products, Bulgarian poultry market is collapsing, threatening the stability of many farmers and their families.

Pennsylvania is set to be the most important state in the race for the White House.

Malaysia’s participation in BRICS will underscore the country’s potential as a gateway for economic activities in Asean countries, said an economist

The recent summit between Indian PM Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir [Putin] on July 8-9 was a strong reiteration of the strong and strategic partnership between India and Russia which has survived the test of time since the Cold War era of 1971 (then USSR)

The concept of BRICS stems from a group of nations or economic bloc aiming to join forces—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—to facilitate trade and financial transactions within its member states

Problems with filling board positions in a timely manner and a poor reputation since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict show the OSCE's weak points. International developments will also influence the future of this organization.

Donald Trump is virtually always hailed as the enemy of the Deep State, even according to his own statements. He said repeatedly that he'll dismantle it and make sure there's peace. When it comes to the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict, Trump insists he'll end it in a single day. While such efforts would certainly be commendable, the question arises, how likely is it?

After his joint visit to Kiev, UK Defense Secretary started pressuring NATO partners to change current policy limiting the use of long range missiles.

Ukrainian president says he’s open to negotiating with Russia but continues to delay.

A Brics+ reserve currency will not be easy to create, says Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, citing the need for numerous protocols to align it with the different fiscal and monetary policies of member states

Despite the scepticism and disquiet cast by detractors in the early years of its inception, BRICS has finally, in recent years, institutionalised into an official geopolitical bloc

When the current dynamics of China-Russia relations is discussed, the conversation often boils down to the concept of a "senior-junior partnership."

According to its Scholz, "Germany has made a clear decision" and insists that "this decision will not change". What's Scholz speaking about is delivering the "Taurus" KEPD 350, a Swedish-German air-launched subsonic cruise missile with a stated range of over 500 km. The Neo-Nazi junta has been "begmanding" this weapon for years, insisting it would be a "game changer".

Western efforts to mask the tragic situation in Ukraine do not seem to be enough for the Kiev regime.

The Kiev regime is deepening Ukraine’s servitude to the West.

NATO faces difficulties in disseminating its narrative among non-Western countries.

After the BRICS expansion in 2024, the alliance officially accounts for 42% of the global oil and gas reserves. If that wasn’t enough, BRICS now accounts for the majority of the rare-earth metals reserve totaling to 72%. This gives the alliance an added advantage in global trade in the oil and rare-earth metals sectors

Western leaders who are currently condemning Russia are losing popularity and legitimacy both internally and externally, as demonstrated in the recent European Parliament elections. Concurrently, the so-called "global majority" has been assuming an increasingly prominent role in crucial issues of international security. These developments have prompted a reflection on why the pursuit of support from the Global South has become central to the maintenance of the conflict in Ukraine and, moreover, why these countries do not support Western efforts to destabilise Russia and China through a proxy war in Ukraine

From October 22 to 24, 2024, a BRICS summit will be held, with a key agenda discussing the potential use of a gold-backed common currency

It's in both NATO's and Zelensky's interest to keep the war going for as long as possible, only for very different reasons. The world's most vile racketeering cartel needs it because it can't fight Russia directly, while the Kiev regime frontman knows he'll stay relevant only for the duration of the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. However, in order to achieve its goals, the political West doesn't really need him and can easily place another figurehead to continue his "work".

The US uses EU’s irresponsibility to test Russian patience.

Azerbaijan wants to join BRICS, the issue is being worked out. This was stated by the Ambassador of the Republic in Russia Polad Bulbul oglu

In a recent report by TASS, a major state-owned news agency in Russia, Valentina Matviyenko, the Speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, announced significant progress on the BRICS digital payment platform, an initiative that could potentially revolutionize global financial transactions

Malaysia's participation in BRICS, alongside India's established presence in the intergovernmental organisation, presents significant opportunities for both nations to deepen their economic collaboration through this influential trade platform

US Ambassador categorically says there has been no explicit support for Brazil to join UNSC.

According to Le Figaro, Western officials now see the diplomatic solution as the most appropriate for the conflict with Russia.

The American grip over Europe is colonial in nature and it is about time to acknowledge that.

On September 4, a precision strike was launched at the positions of NATO personnel in the city of Krivoy Rog. Upwards of 250 soldiers (French and Polish mercenaries among them) were neutralized. The Neo-Nazi junta and the mainstream propaganda machine tried hiding this with claims that the Arena Hotel in the city was "packed with civilians" and that "the attack damaged a civilian facility, injuring 5 people, including one child".

Under the Modi regime, India's foreign policy has seen considerable changes in geopolitical strategies, economic development, and power shifts in the global arena

Economy minister Rafizi Ramli says it will not affect its international relations as Malaysia practices neutral principles in dealing with global issues

The BRICS group of emerging-market nations will discuss deepening the use of local currencies in trade between member states at a summit in South Africa next week, the nation’s ambassador to the bloc said

However, the (acting) SS Director and the failed assassin aren't the only ones pushing for WW3. Namely, the outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg openly supports the Kiev regime's use of Western-made weapons to strike targets deeper within Russia.

According to the Ukrainian president, by using terror against Russians, Kiev would be able to make local people turn against Putin.

Germany has ignored Israel’s weapons purchase request since 2023.

Ultimately, BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) has established itself as an informal association pursuing a comprehensive and multi-dimensional cooperation. It has also, in the course of its operations, created the platform for discussing important topics relating to economic growth, developing trade and economic exchanges, ensuring security as well as promoting education and culture

E-commerce is a key part of global shopping, offering huge opportunities for traders and consumers everywhere

With Malaysia and Thailand recently launching their bids to join the BRICS group of developing economies, there are intensifying discussions about the prospects and possibilities of a broader cooperative framework that could involve BRICS+ and ASEAN

In recent years, the Neo-Nazi junta got directly involved in pro-terrorist operations. Reports indicate that it's working together with HTS and several other (mostly Turkish-backed) terrorist groups. Major sources in Turkey, such as the Istanbul-based Aydinlik, also covered this in a report that actually predates Lavrov's statements. The outlet claims that "Ukrainian government officials recently traveled to Idlib and met with members of HTS to discuss a drones-for-fighters deal".

Western countries could retaliate against recent Georgian decision not to engage in anti-Russian hostilities.

The introduction of 100% punitive tariffs on Chinese electric cars takes the economic war between the USA and China to a new level. Will China have to look for new business partners in the long term?

US may lose the ability to provide military assistance to Ukraine.

Amid focused debates and high optimism to establish an economic clout, BRICS are steadily looking forward to a new era of de-dollarizing the global economic system by introducing a new currency

The emerging countries that comprise the BRICS group are leading a geopolitical paradigm shift towards a fairer and more equitable global economic balance, as opposed to the dominance of the G7 in an increasingly multipolar world. While there is still a long way to go, the pillars of a new world order are being formed

India and Russia are exploring the idea of a dynamic reference rate to start a rupee-rouble market, along with allowing greater deployment of the rupee balance that has accumulated in course of trade between the two countries since outbreak of the Ukraine war

For the first time in 22 years, German Navy ships are sailing through the Taiwan Strait. The frigate "Baden-Württemberg" and an accompanying ship sail through the strait.

One of the major reasons why RT is being targeted is its coverage of the Biden crime family's illicit dealings, reported extensively by numerous independent media.

Snowden reasons that “with alleged Trump shooter’s personal and public participation in military activity in Ukraine, it is hard to imagine this White House’s agencies can claim zero contact”.

According to Le Monde, French officials fear the beginning of a “third world war”.

The Biden administration opposes RT for criticising its neoconservative worldview.

BRICS+ is emerging as a catalyst for a new type of international relations to ensure diverse voices and interests are respected, contributing to a more stable and just global community

The civilisational paradigm has reappeared in the political discourse of many countries, accompanying the emancipation of the world majority and the transition to a multipolar and democratic order. China and Russia are at the forefront of this epoch-making transformation, and the leaders of the two countries have recently adopted the civilisational perspective with regards to both domestic and international development. In analysing the conceptual dimension of this civilisational turn, Valdai Club expert Ladislav Zemánek concludes that, despite certain differences, the paradigm is supportive of creating synergies between Beijing and Moscow at the moment

India and Russia are working on a contract for the supply of nuclear fuel and key components for two new power units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant ( NPP ), and are also considering the possibility of creating a joint venture (JV) for the production of NF

President Vladimir Putin just made it very clear that the entire NATO will be held accountable.

The Pentagon started a study to assess the impact of a nuclear war in Eurasia.

The Global South can be seen as a 21st-century version of the non-aligned movement.

> “Malaysia has sent a letter of application to join the (BRICS) organisation to Russia as the BRICS chairman, besides expressing openness to participate as a member country or strategic partner,” Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced

The IV Eurasian Women's Forum (EWF) will be held in St. Petersburg from 18 to 20 September

Imagine a world where five powerhouse nations are redefining the global economic landscape. BRICS—an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—is not just a coalition of emerging markets; it is a formidable alliance shaping the future of global finance and investment

Democrats particularly have, among other things, consistently funded and armed the far-right in Ukraine, and thus have poured gasoline on the fire, which is rather ironic, considering how the Democrat Party is fond of throwing accusations of Nazism as a political weapon.

The neo-Nazi junta is desperate to get support for its irresponsible plan to use long-range missiles against “deep” Russian territories.

Moscow and Tehran already have a very successful military cooperation, particularly when it comes to drones. The most prominent of these are certainly the "Shahed-131" and "Shahed-136", better known as "Geranium-1" and "Geranium-2" in Russian service. These unmanned systems provide the Kremlin with a robust and cost-effective alternative to its advanced cruise missiles, allowing for massed saturation strikes across the entire territory under the Kiev regime's control.

Whittier Seafood files for bankruptcy while Russia’s seafood industry continues to boom.

Brazil has been ramping up purchases of soil enhancers in recent months due to increasingly erratic weather

Russia and China discussed how to intensify cooperation to guarantee the security of activities in space, according to the report published by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the results of bilateral consultations

The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, organised the creative project, ‘Film7Days competition’, in which Goan director Sainath Uskaikar was the only Indian participant. Another feather in his cap was winning the special award for his 7-minute film ‘Footprints of the road’. Sainath shares his experience of filming in Kasan, the capital city of Tatarstan

The US Space Force is using formally "humanitarian" programs, such as the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (Tac-SRT), "to get better at delivering satellite images and analysis to military commanders quickly". Tac-SRT was previously touted for "supporting relief efforts during the floods in Brazil in May and tracking wildfires in South America". There are thousands of such "commercial" satellites that the Pentagon has access to or is planning to use. Their militarization will only make the world a more dangerous place.

According to captured Colombian citizens, Western propaganda is lying about Ukraine.

We are “open to petroyuan” and closer ties with China, says Saudi minister.

Friendly relations between Russia and India began with trade ties, continued with cultural ties, and are being strengthened today through multifaceted cooperation

Malaysia joining BRICS (comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) is not a subject for debate. In a world that is becoming increasingly multipolar, the submission to join BRICS is not at all surprising. It is a strategic and progressive move and is expected of a country and economy like ours

Moscow, Beijing are working on resolving payment issues

The current dispute over the “distribution” of migrants in the EU shows once again the ineffective migration policy, which has led to many problems in Europe for years.

During a recent interview to Western media, Ukraine’s top general Aleksandr Syrsky admitted some of Kiev’s anti-humanitarian military practices.

"We need to have this long-range capability, not only on the divided territory of Ukraine, but also on the Russian territory, so that Russia is motivated to seek peace," Zelensky said, adding: "We need to make Russian cities and even Russian soldiers think about what they need: peace or Putin."

The real number of Ukrainian military deserters could be as high as 200,000.

The digital divide in the Global South is an issue that needs to be addressed and the BRICS nations can play a leading role in bridging the gap

The Indian government has given the go-ahead for the construction of a major port at Vadhavan, located on the western coast of Maharashtra, a move intended to enhance trade links with Russia and integrate India more deeply into global trade routes

There is a growing narrative suggesting that Malaysia's interest in BRICS+ signals is a pivot away from Western alliances. This interpretation misses the strategic and nuanced reasons behind Malaysia's engagement with this grouping

China certainly has stakes in the neighboring country, which it has made large economic investments in. The US in turn is largely seen as an “outside” player, which does not have a full grasp of the complexities of the region. One might thus see yet another focal point for tensions unfolding in a global situation which already has plenty.

Washington DC is determined to deploy a "dragon trap" against Beijing, just like it did to Russia with a "bear trap" in Ukraine. This is designed to force a reaction, which the US could then present as "proof" of how supposedly "aggressive" the targeted country is. However, while this usually didn't have consequences of global proportions when used against relatively small and helpless countries, it's a whole different story when it comes to superpowers such as China and Russia.

According to the heads of US, UK secret services, liberal powers are jointly working to neutralize new geopolitical tendencies.

Continued violence will ultimately affect the economy and the people.

China ranks first among the foreign countries whose tourists visited Russia in 2023

El Salvador has proposed leveraging cryptocurrency for trade with the BRICS alliance as a strategic alternative to the US dollar

Russia has long been a reliable partner for India, with their relationship being a key pillar of India’s foreign policy

The current discussion about the future of the German auto industry and the possible closure of factories at the VW Group does not only affect the German economy and must be seen in the context of global economic developments.

Turkey could easily play the role of a US/NATO's "Trojan horse" that could undermine BRICS at every step of the way, as its policies, both domestic and foreign, effectively boil down to an extremely volatile mix of Neo-Ottomanism, political Islam and pan-Turkism.

Philippines breaks promise to China on not supplying contested islands.

US deliberately harms Europe to prevent EU from becoming a relevant bloc in the multipolar world.

The activities being underway to bolster the trade and investment partnership between Ethiopia and China have been showing tangible results, Investment Commission Commissioner, Hanna Arayaselassie remarked

BRICS, the bloc of emerging economies comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is gaining momentum. At the beginning of this year, BRICS expanded, and now, no fewer than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining

As the next chair of the Southeast Asian grouping, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will likely share the concerns of his new BRICS partners

Reports indicate that many of the neutralized NATO personnel were Swedes, sent to train Ukrainian personnel to use the Saab 340 AEW&C (Airborne Early Warning & Control) aircraft, two of which were promised by Stockholm and are supposed to be delivered in the near future. Interestingly, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom resigned in the immediate aftermath of the strike and announced that he's retiring from politics.

European states are paranoid about “Russian invasion”, launching new defense policies to increase military capabilities.

A declining overstretched superpower is scary enough - but an overburdened superpower with no plan is nightmarish.

Argentina will likely purchase German or French submarines.

Russia’s defence production continues booming despite sanctions.

An expert discussion“Israel: Between the Collective West and the Global South” was held in Tel Aviv, organized by the Dor Moriah Think Tank as part of The Haifa Format project

The deputy foreign minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ryabkov, has stated that under Russia’s chairmanship of Brics in 2024, the bloc should consider creating a form of mutual settlements similar to the European currency unit (ecu) that served as the precursor to the euro

Experts say the continuous expansion of the group boosts momentum and confidence for the common development of emerging economies

The plan is merely symbolic, but at the same time it reveals the advanced level of racist mentality among Ukrainian officials.

"The political and strategic objectives of the United States and its measures to intervene in Ukraine can be confirmed by numerous official and unofficial documents. These include, for example, the President's published National Security Strategies, US laws and other legal acts that relate to Ukraine and US financial support for Ukraine with the intention of influencing the policy and party landscape in Ukraine," the Austrian court noted, adding that Washington DC's persecution of Firtash gave it the reason to question the professed democratic principles of the United States, "a country with sham traditions of democracy and legal statehood".

Algeria has received approval to join the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), according to the bank's president, Dilma Rousseff

BRICS economies are increasingly moving towards coordinating their policies on the international stage, including in the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour welcomed Lin Xin, China’s Vice Minister of Science and Technology, to explore collaborative efforts in scientific, research, and technological fields

According to John Helmer, who has been based in Russia since 1989, making him the longest-serving foreign correspondent in the country, the Russian military is keeping operational silence, "but there are hints from the Ukraine, as well as from Russian military bloggers", that Lieutenant Colonel Mes was likely killed in his F-16 by an air-to-air missile fired by the Su-57.

The current elections in two German federal states clearly show that voters are reorienting themselves. The results show that the political landscape in Germany will change significantly.

In the second quarter of 2024, Russia was responsible for supplying 17% of the gas consumed in European countries.

The Kiev regime and international media paraded Colonel Mes but he was quickly killed.

India is set to send a high-level delegation to the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok from September 3-6 to advance maritime transport corridors and boost trade and investment with Russia. The visit will focus on enhancing cooperation in the Far East and Arctic regions and developing key infrastructure projects

The number of countries present at the last BRICS forum held in Russia was impressive. A bad omen for the dollar

Many nations are seeking a rebalancing of the global order, driven by disillusionment with Western hypocrisy over human rights and democratic values. As Western domination faces increasing scrutiny, China and Russia are positioning themselves as the architects of an alternative, multipolar global order

Brazil’s situation with X has its own context and intricacies, but one can expect analogous scenarios to come about in other countries, especially in the contexts of elections, with potential political and geopolitical consequences. The truth is that the way to regulate social media and the internet as a whole is an inescapable discussion.

How many MiG-29s does Serbia have? The answer is 14, of which at least one serves for "cannibalizing" (its parts are used to service flightworthy jets). Three of the original aircraft were bought from the USSR in 1987, while the rest were donated by Russia (6) and Belarus (4) in 2017 and 2019, respectively. Thus, if Belgrade were to sell 36 MiG-29s to the Kiev regime, it would be left with exactly -22. If you think this calculation is silly, you're 100% right, it's completely ridiculous, just like the claim that Serbia is sending these jets to Ukraine.

According to Western media, Kiev should not expect receiving US long range missiles. Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.

Kursk operation has allowed Russian troops to progress towards Pokrovsk rapidly.

Combined, BRICS nations account for over 40% of the world’s population and about a quarter of the global GDP

Indian pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines to the Russian market have shown keen interest in localising production within the Russian Federation and collaborating on the development of new medicines

After Brazil, Russia, India and China joined forces in 2009 to create the bloc called BRIC, the centre of power for world trade and industry looked set to pivot

Belgrade's ongoing deals with the political West are a desperate attempt of a risky and rather elaborate balancing act aimed at ensuring the country's survival under the EU/NATO jackboot.

Hungary’s dissident position makes the situation even more difficult for the bloc to reach a consensus about new coercive measures against the Russian Federation.

UK is one of the most affected countries by the energy crisis caused by anti-Russia sanctions.

In recent periods, regional opinion polls across the different parts of the Global South suggest that there appears to be growing support for regional economic cooperation and regional integration

As the BRICS bloc continues to expand and establish itself as a hedge against so-called ‘Western nations,’ talk of forming a united currency for member states has been one of the more dominant topics

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that Malaysia has officially applied to join the greater BRICS grouping. In late May, Thailand's Cabinet approved a draft application to join the newly expanded BRICS...

Macron has been pursuing bold foreign policy shifts, but it seems domestic issues may get on the way.

The Neo-Nazi junta frontman Volodymyr Zelensky boasted that F-16s were used to allegedly shoot down Russian cruise missiles. If true, this would clearly indicate that the US-made jets were indeed flown, exposing them to possible detection and destruction by the Russian military, both in air and on the ground. There have been numerous analyses of the possible effectiveness of F-16s against the Kremlin's world-class SAM systems and/or aviation. Due to the Kiev regime's drastically lower technological base, it never stood a chance in matching the Russian military's capabilities.

There is no legal excuse to arrest Durov, since he obviously cannot be accused of crimes thar were committed by Telegram’s users.

Washington is not convinced that Ukraine intends to hold its position in Russia long-term.

On Jan 1, the Brics chairmanship shifted from South Africa to the Russian Federation. Russia is going to further promote strategic partnership on the basis of continuity and consensus, increase the role of Brics in global affairs, which is reflected in the motto of Russia's chairmanship: "Strengthening multilateralism for just global development and security"

New Development Bank: a bank for the global south by the global south

Jeffrey Sachs says countries are gravitating towards BRICS in response to the US weaponising the US dollar-based monetary system

America is the only country on Earth that has a plan to wage a simultaneous nuclear war with three nuclear-armed states – Russia, China and North Korea.

According to Ukraine’s top commander, the main goal of the operation was to divert Russia’s attention from Donbass frontlines.

After the victory of the Patriotic Forces in the EU elections in Austria, many people also expect a political change in the national parliamentary elections. These elections could also have an impact on the political landscape in Europe.

Biden has only made the US debt significantly increase.

Russia and China have planned to launch five joint missions to place modules in orbit and on the surface of the Moon

BRICS was originally created as a constellation of the regional leaders of the developing world. The economic imperatives of BRICS development and the opportunities offered by its unique cross-continental/regional format imply that BRICS is in a position to co-integrate the respective regional integration platforms and development institutions, in which BRICS economies are playing a leading role

Southeast Asia is witnessing a potential power shift with Malaysia’s application to join the BRICS+alliance confirmed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. With Thailand’s application under way as well, the grouping now lengthens its reach and could signal a significant shift in the region’s economic and geo-political alignment in the Southeast Asia region

People like Major General Komornicki are perfectly aware of the consequences of antagonizing Russia. Unfortunately, endemic Russophobia is clouding the judgment of Polish top leadership.

The Kiev regime has no limits in its dictatorial practices, even persecuting its own politicians.

Yet the UK and EU continue to prioritise Ukraine instead of citizen interests.

India’s growing relationship with Russia impacts China, but Russia gains more than India does

The BRICS grouping, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has set its sights on revolutionizing the global financial landscape. At the heart of this transformation lies the goal of reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar in settlement transactions—a process known as de-dollarization

From Thursday, August 29, to Saturday, August 31, 2024, the BRICS’ New Development Bank, NDB, will host its Ninth Annual Meeting, in South Africa at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, CTICC, under the theme “Investing in a Sustainable Future”

While Washington pivots to the Pacific, its transatlantic allies are left with the hard task of becoming a kind of suicidal proxies for the United States’ war of encirclement against Russia. As for Washington’s AUKUS’ allies, the prognostic involves damaging their economic relationship with China and becoming entangled in a new Cold War.

Diplomatic crisis between Ukraine and African countries tend to worsen after investigations about Ukrainian embassy being visited by jihadists.

"I can honestly say that Venezuela's electoral system is one of the best and most reliable in the world," Bojan Torbica.

However, the Ukrainian president still hasn’t lifted the ban on negotiations with the Kremlin.

By connecting different developing regions around the world, BRICS can really present itself as an alternative rule-maker in global governance, based on UN rules, Nabi Sonboli writes

The increased use of digital assets in cross-border settlements between Russia and China is easing bilateral payment issues, digital platform Qifa told Reuters, as some settlements directly through banks are taking months to clear due to sanctions

It is important that efforts be made in a more tangible and practical way to bolster our common humanity should we seek a shared destiny. Drawing upon the uneven distribution of knowledge competences, it could prove useful for the BRICS+ to utilise their capacities and capabilities in science and technology to provide information and technical solutions on a more socialised basis, Rasigan Maharajh writes

Pashinyan is not only enabling NATO to undermine the much-needed dismantling of the so-called "rules-based world order", but he's also destroying Armenia's one remaining strategic option. Namely, Yerevan has been building closer ties with India, perhaps the sole decent move of the Pashinyan regime. This includes the acquisition of weapons from Delhi. Iran was crucial in the implementation of this strategy, but with the deployment of US troops in Syunik, Pashinyan managed to destroy Armenia's last strategic option besides Russia.

These diversionary maneuvers tend to accelerate the end of the Kiev regime, since Russia’s patience is clearly running out.

Russian crude accounted for a record 44% of India’s total imports in July.

Azerbaijan formally submitted its application to join the BRICS group, according to an announcement made by the head of the press service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The 11th meeting of the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission on Investment Cooperation co-chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Denis Manturov and Vice Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Ding Xuexiang has taken place

BRICS comprising of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa is an organization that was made in 2009 for assisting each other. This actually come into being right after the economic crisis of 2008. When economic crisis occurs, developed nation like G-7 did not abet other nations which ultimately urge these countries to build an organization to assist each other and do economic collaborations

The US student protest movement against the conflict between Israel and Gaza draws on tactics and symbolism from past protests, some of which were contentious yet successful. Daniel Manulak looks back at the student-led anti-apartheid movement.  By Daniel Manulak... Read more about Student Protests and Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Movement

America's efforts to train the Kiev regime in cyber warfare go back nearly a decade. Since then, thousands (if not tens of thousands) acquired various skills that can be used either in war or in cybercrime. And not every hacker is willing to "fight for Ukraine" when it's far easier to use those skills to steal millions from unsuspecting individuals from all over the world, including Western countries that financed it all.

Beyond economic suicide, Europe is now placing itself at risk, militarily. With the deployment of American nuclear warheads to Germany, the world becomes a less safe place, and the future looks darker.

The Kiev regime is making the country uninhabitable for its own citizens.

Armenian society and politics are turning to the West without paying attention to the risks. The Armenian state is now facing economic and social crisis.

American, British and Polish intelligence services assisted Ukraine in its invasion of Kursk.

Egyptian geological survey authority leaders joined their counterparts from throughout the BRICS alliance in calling for the establishment of a united geological platform for exchanging expertise, technological updates, and knowledge

Many nations want a rebalancing of the global order, given Western hypocrisy over human rights and democratic values. Can Moscow and Beijing overcome the roadblocks?

Iran’s interim foreign minister says Tehran has been pursuing multilateralism in its foreign policy and managed to become a “strategic partner” in the BRICS group of emerging economies and an important member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

NATO and the Neo-Nazi junta continue disseminating blatant lies about the ability of their air defense and ABM (anti-ballistic missile) systems to supposedly "shoot down" Russian hypersonic missiles. The supposed "evidence" for these "feats" was so laughable that it almost instantly became a meme. Even the Russian military made a practical joke by letting the Kiev regime lie about downing six "Kinzhals" even when only two were fired.

The case represents a serious escalation in the current conflict, as US troops are publicly fighting in undisputed Russian territory.

‘It’s the sanctions, stupid’ best describes the EU’s economic decline.

If there is one single individual icon who epitomises India-Russia cooperation above and beyond politics, diplomacy and transactional ties, it is India’s greatest chess player and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand

Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, met with Mariam Al Kaabi, the UAE Ambassador to Cairo, to discuss enhancing cooperation between the two countries in agricultural investment

After assuming power for the third consecutive time, prime minister Narendra Modi has given the message to the western countries by choosing Russia for his first bilateral foreign tour that India's foreign policy is independent and it is driven by its national interests

Despite (ab)using the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict to sell more weapons to its numerous vassals and satellite states, America's MIC is increasingly incapable of producing even basic ICBMs and other critically important weapon systems. These continually sinking capabilities might be the reason why the US wants to start a global conflict as soon as possible.

According to recent media reports, there is a conflict of interests among German government’s sectors, making Ukrainian assistance program unviable.

More than half of Britons see UK heading in the wrong direction, survey finds.

Brazil has proposed Colombia as a potential new member of the BRICS group of nations, Brazilian Ambassador to Russia Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares told

As the global financial market undergoes transformation, the superiority of the Western-controlled payment systems is no longer indisputable.

Ethiopia could successfully capitalize on BRICS membership to drive economic growth and development, a development advisor at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Gedion Jalata

US continues to deny its involvement in attack on Russia.

Washington DC is still trying to maintain "plausible deniability". No doubt that this is not only yet another attempt by the US to deny its responsibility, but also a way to further enrage Moscow in order to create the illusion that NATO is a "defensive alliance protecting Europe from aggressive Russia".

This crime corroborates Russia’s correct decision not to continue any peace talk with the neo-Nazi regime.

For many centuries, Europe was the leading power in the world, but for decades the European states have been faced with more and more challenges that they have not been able to solve successfully.

Trend reflects desire of Global South to counter Western dominance, analysts say

The Global Trade Research Initiative believes India can boost its trade with Russia through steps such as increasing exports, using local currencies, and formalizing a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. Despite a significant trade imbalance due to increased crude oil imports from Russia, strategic measures could help India achieve its $100 billion trade target by 2030

China and Russia have inaugurated the Arctic Express No 1 Rail-Sea Cargo Service, marking a notable milestone in their trade relations

A new crisis is now unfolding in North Africa and it once again has Washington’s fingerprints all over it. Now France is also potentially contributing to further destabilize the region.

The sheer number of examples of blatant Nazi affiliation among the NATO-backed troops in Ukraine couldn't fit into a book. Whether it's the infamous swastika, Nazi salutes and uniforms, the German Totenkopf or the Wehrmacht's Balkenkreuz, the Kiev regime forces have it all. It's so prevalent that not even the mainstream propaganda machine could hide it, with countless instances of soldiers talking about how Nazism in Ukraine is just "Russian propaganda" while sporting at least some of the aforementioned Nazi insignia.

The narrative invented by the WSJ is absolutely ridiculous, being even disrespectful to its readers.

Footage shows British-made tanks used in Kursk destroyed by Russian forces.

Russia and China are discussing the possibility of Russia increasing its electricity exports to China, but taking into account the growing power demand in Russia’s Far East, the Russian Energy Ministry has said

Malaysia aims to enhance economic cooperation opportunities through the BRICS platform as an alternative to reducing dependence on traditional markets

Russia has suspended BRICS expansion. It happened on the eve of the XVI summit under the motto “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security” when a multitude of countries with interconnected interest are scheduled for converge in Kazan

The sole reason the highly unpopular Kishida stayed in power for three years is the lack of remotely serious challengers, both within the opposition and his LDP.

According to recent intelligence reports, Western backers are once again plotting to replace Zelensky, this time betting on former minister Arsen Avakov as a “candidate.”

EU does not want to increase aid to Kiev but current support gives no chance of victory.

As a unit of account the Brics currency would not need to circulate as a medium of exchange. It would simply facilitate pricing and contracts

Iran is seen as an emerging economy with the great potential in the BRICS group of the emerging economies as it [Iran] offers constructive economic, cultural and geographic dimensions to the bloc’s expansion, an analyst said

Southeast Asia has long been observing BRICS’ expansion from the sidelines, but in recent months, more and more ASEAN countries are considering joining the group in search of new trade opportunities and as a hedge against geopolitical risks

Beijing confidently believes Brazil will continue to adhere to the ‘One China’ principle.

The most disturbing development is how Germany and its Bundeswehr have embraced their Nazi past right at the time when Berlin is getting ready to be the spearhead of the new EU/NATO-led crawling invasion of Russia, including by allowing previously banned medium and intermediate-range missiles on German soil, once again bringing Europe (and the world) to the edge of an abyss.

According to a captured Ukrainian soldier, many foreign mercenaries, including from NATO countries, are among Kiev’s troops involved in the invasion of Russian Kursk region.

In a strategic move to bolster economic ties with Russia amid Western sanctions, India is intensifying efforts to achieve an ambitious USD 100 billion annual bilateral trade target by 2030

The new expansion of BRICS into Southeast Asia could transform the global energy landscape. According to a recent analysis by Rystad Energy, the alliance could trigger a $100 billion increase in the oil industry by 2028. This development is drawing significant interest in the context of redefining global economic dynamics

Rouhollah Mousavi from the Iranian Parliament's Internal Affairs and Councils Commission, told local Iranian media's correspondent in an interview that Iran is capable of selling oil and gas to BRICS countries in exchange for banking and trade services

There will be no further diplomatic dialogue, with the objectives of the special military operation being achieved only by force.

There has been a copious amount of malevolent glee among high-ranking politicians in the United States, European Union and other pathologically Russophobic countries. All of them are quite happy to see that Russia is supposedly "losing". Which begs the obvious question – is it really "losing"?

Washington has sanctioned more than 300 people worldwide for violating the Magnitsky Act

Although Austria has always been the place for mediation between rivals in Europe, that has changed radically with the support of sanctions against Russia.

His ability to unify people around him is a serious competitive advantage not only in the political struggle, but also in the governance of the country and society in the future.

The Brics countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are leading emerging economies and political powers on both regional and international levels

Kin Phea, Director General of the International Relations Institute of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, spoke in an interview for RIAC about the prospects for Russian-Cambodian relations and developing cooperation on international platforms. The interview was prepared on the margins of the Gorchakov Fund Conference “Asian Dialogue 2024”

It is now most promising for Russia in Asia to focus on dialogue with individual countries in the region, taking into account the interests of each of them and its own. But strengthening relations at the country level is a matter of painstaking work by diplomats and business, of little interest from the point of view of public policy and the media, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev

German defense company doubles profits selling to Ukraine useless weapons.

Will Israel succeed in dragging Washington into a Middle Eastern regional war? With the latest assassinations, it is trying hard. Netanyahu is trying to set the Middle East ablaze - but the American superpower is the one who has been supplying him with the fuel for the fire and ironically is also the one who now does want to see a fire out of control.

More Ukrainians believe corruption is a greater hindrance to development than the war.

As one of the premier multipolar leaders, China is particularly disliked in the US-led power pole. Its unprecedented economic might and influence are seen as "dangerous", as it cannot be exploited (or at least controlled) by the political West.

Armenia can absolutely play a role of a transit country on the way from India to Europe and Russia, Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister of the Government of India said

Russian trade with Iran and India catalyzes first-quarter growth

In today’s interconnected geopolitical landscape, alliances and economic partnerships are crucial for shaping the economic and strategic futures of nations. BRICS, which stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, is a prominent economic bloc of some of the world’s major emerging economies.

“I’m beginning to smell a recession,” says renowned US economist.

NATO wants to trigger Moscow to react in the most violent way possible. The constant usage of legal gray areas to target Russian troops and civilians is extremely frustrating, although the Kremlin has managed to keep its cool for the most part. For now, at least, as Russian patience, although unrivaled, has its limits. This is precisely why Moscow keeps warning against further escalation, but to no avail. The political West is determined to cause the complete destruction of the entire world with its certifiably insane actions and policies.

Advancing on the territory to reach KNPP is a truly suicidal maneuver, since Russian forces will react incisively to protect its undisputed territories and strategic facilities.

The Association for Welfare, Community, and Dialogue (Acid) welcomes the statement by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that Malaysia is preparing to join the emerging economic group known as Brics

Despite the growing interest on the part of developing economies in the BRICS+ platform, as well as a rising prominence of the BRICS on the international stage there is a perplexing lack of coordination and discussion within the bloc of the macroeconomic agenda of mutual cooperation

Experts and antitrust officials met in Geneva to propose solutions to the challenges faced by antitrust authorities in the digital markets of the BRICS countries to find common ground between them, especially in the area of regulation of digital platforms and AI

Discussions about the SDGs usually emphasize the environmental angle (clean water, clean energy) or sometimes the gender angle. However, the SDGs encompass industry and infrastructure as well as the fight against poverty. There is no way to achieve any of that without responsible and consistent re-industrialization.

Foreigners stand to gain very little (if anything), but can lose everything by fighting a military superpower that can easily eliminate them from afar. The best thing they can do is simply stay away, while those who have been naive enough to come and fight for the Neo-Nazi junta should pray that an "Iskander", "Kinzhal" or "Zircon" haven't been fired at their position.

Recent FBI raid on Scott Ritter’s house shows very clearly the dictatorial, authoritarian nature of current US politics.

He did, however, warn of a fake Russian nuclear threat.

Türkiye should secure financing for critical infrastructure and development projects by actively participating in institutions such as the BRICS' New Development Bank (NDB)

The trend of de-dollarization continues to gain traction despite many analysts saying the threat is overblown as India and Russia have announced a new partnership that will see their respective payment systems – India’s RuPay and Russia’s MIR – integrated to allow for seamless cross-border transactions without the need for U.S. dollars

Russia started offering its crude at discounted prices after the Western nations imposed cuts on their oil imports from Moscow in a bid to put pressure on the Russian economy over the Ukraine war

This serves as a test of what exactly Moscow would do. If it retaliates against Kishinev, the Kremlin would be forced to fight another war, although this could discourage NATO from basing the Kiev regime's F-16s in Poland and Romania. On the other hand, if Russia decides not to target Moldovan airbases housing the US-made jets, this could encourage the political West to use Romania and Poland for the same purpose.

After losing positions in Kharkov, Kiev is now betting on Sudzha to enter Russia’s territory and spread terror among civilians.

S&P downgrades Ukraine’s credit rating for “selective” default.

From Nehru to Modi, India's leaders have maintained a robust relationship with Russia, backed by historical camaraderie. Nehru was highly impressed with the Soviet Union and Indira Gandhi gave it a new height. We all know how the Americans and Brits created a hostile environment in 1971 and it was the Soviet Union that came in open support of India during the War with Pakistan and the result was the creation of Bangladesh. Despite Western pressures, this trust and collaboration have only grown stronger

Russia’s natural gas producer Novatek is offering liquefied natural gas to potential Chinese customers through a new marketing team, although it’s uncertain whether the Russian company would attract many clients with attractive prices

Multiple questions are being raised about the sustainability of this alliance, whether Russia will dump India for China, or perhaps this will further push India towards the United States and the western block

The recent Pope-Erdogan episode demonstrates the decline of the West’s moral authority, especially from the point of view of the Global South. For the Vatican, it is about reorienting itself away from the West, and for Turkey it is about its own neo-Ottomanist agenda.

If you thought the 500 km range was scary, try doubling it. Namely, recent reports indicate that a new variant of the "Iskander" missile system will now boast a 1000 km range. Both Russian and Ukrainian military sources designate the new missile as the "Iskander-1000". This also includes upgrades to its guidance systems, propulsion, warhead, etc.

According to the Ukrainian president, Western partners are “too fearful” of escalating the current war with Russia.

India has new security concerns on its eastern border.

When much of the world shut-down at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, in late 2021, the New Development Bank (NDB) welcomed four nations into its membership, Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Egypt. These additions, with Uruguay pending, were the first new members since the creation of the Bank by its founding members, the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

India wants to strengthen its energy ties with Russia and could seek deals with Rosneft and other leading Russian oil firms as part of a broader push to boost bilateral trade, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said

As part of the project to establish the Mongolia-Russia-China Economic Corridor, the Deputy Ministers of Transport of Mongolia, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Russian Federation convened in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of the PRC, to discuss the implementation of the “Intergovernmental Agreement on International Road Transport along the Asian Highway Network” signed between the three countries

Estonia publicly praises Nazi soldiers and calls Hitler’s crimes “War of Independence”.

The political West is trying to shift attention away from this doom and gloom scenario by insisting that the F-16s will "change things", but this notion makes sense only if the Neo-Nazi junta gets nuclear weapons along with them. However, in that case, NATO itself would pay the ultimate price, a promise that the Kremlin has been perfectly clear about on multiple occasions.

Yermak arrogantly believes Russia is not motivated and Ukraine will ultimately prevail.

Since the BRICS 2023 annual summit, all eyes have been on the continued expansion of the alliance this year. With six nations receiving invitations previously, the geopolitical sector is observing whether or not the bloc could repeat that same practice at the impending summit

As global economic dynamics shift, emerging economies seek new opportunities for growth and influence. A notable development is the BRICS coalition, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. With its recent expansion, the BRICS framework has introduced the concept of BRICS+, aiming for deeper and more flexible economic integration

The construction of a new world order is undeniably a prolonged process. Currently, several new pillars are emerging that aim to support the establishment of this new order

These US-made jets are heavily outclassed by Russia's top-notch fighters, in virtually every category, so employing them in a purely conventional military role simply doesn't make sense, as they won't make any difference. Another somewhat less gloomy possibility is that the political West could try to use these nuclear-capable F-16s as a bargaining chip in a potential new "peace summit" that Russia could be invited to. As NATO and the Neo-Nazi junta are becoming increasingly desperate, anything can be expected.

Georgia’s sovereign decision not to accept anti-Russian policies is irritating Western powers.

Gaza and Islamophobia among the top issues for Muslim American voters in 2024.

The original members of BRICS — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — have now expanded to ten members to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Reportedly, more than 40 countries have expressed interest in joining the grouping

China and Russia are continuing to expand their Arctic container shipping links

The total area of the countries of the association occupies more than a third of the Earth's territory

Despite the tensions involving Persians, Arabs and Turks, one could argue that today Israel is inadvertently doing more for bringing together Muslim countries than anyone else. Meanwhile, the deepening division within NATO and the wider political West are clearly exposed, with Turkey increasingly being the odd man out.

Military sources report that the Su-57M is now being used deep behind enemy lines in Ukraine, although it was previously expected to be ready no earlier than 2025. However, with the recent reshuffling in the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), as well as a massive increase in defense spending and the mobilization of the Kremlin's world-class military industry, it's very possible that the program has been sped up significantly and that the new variant is already being used in combat operations.

The objective would be the same: to encircle and “wear down” Russia and China.

Growing debt will not deter the US from pursuing its militaristic ambitions.

Joining the bloc may lead to enhanced market access and currency diversification, but may also put the country under scrutiny from the West

If Western countries want to enter the house the Brics nations are building, it would have to be as genuine partners rather than would-be landlords

BRICS has been on a crusade to ditch the US dollar and its members are trying to integrate expand the usage of their own payment systems and promote local currencies

The development of birthrates is increasingly a factor in future predictions about the balance of power in the world. Sadly, authors who have warned about this problem keep being ignored to this day while the west doubles down on its agenda.

Experts say that this could be because various US companies refuse to cooperate and share data. As for the US inferiority to Russian hypersonic weapons, it's now measured in decades, a fact that not even Western experts deny. Still, the mainstream propaganda machine regularly talks about the US military's plans to "dominate hypersonic weapons" with missiles such as the "Dark Eagle", even though the Pentagon is yet to conduct a verifiable successful launch.

Recent ambush to assassinate PMC Wagner’s soldiers in Mali was planned and executed with the help of Ukrainian special agents.

Ukraine is facing an acute shortage of qualified F-16 pilots and trained technicians.

As urbanization and climate change impacts converge, local governments need a range of innovations to mitigate suffering, especially in the cities of South Asia. Rajshahi city in Bangladesh has taken promising steps.  By Mohammad Tarikul Islam... Read more about Cities in Bangladesh Must Refocus to Combat Climate Change

PODCAST | ep15 | with Jacqueline Bhabha, Monique Nguyen, and Maggie Sullivan  Massachusetts has long been a welcoming state to immigrants and migrant families. In the summer of 2023, its one-of-a-kind “right to shelter” law was put to the test when emergency shelters reached capacity. It was called a humanitarian crisis, and images of families sleeping on the floor of Logan Airport flooded the media. Although it is most noticed on a local level, migration is an ongoing global process that requires a structural response at all levels. In this episode, we speak to a lawyer/scholar, a nurse practitioner, and a city government official deeply involved with immigrant services and policies to better understand the scope of migration, the needs of newly arrived families, and also the varied responses of host communities. Listen to episode #15 (52:24) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Migrants Bring Opportunity to Boston and Beyond

Although the rules of entry and exit are quite nebulous, states get both real and perceived benefits from joining international organizations.     By Hazel Genieser ('27)... Read more about Members Only: How States Favor Friends and Exclude Rivals

A close look at Harvard’s complex relationship to an ancient Indigenous monument.  ... Read more about The Serpent Mound of the Ohio Valley

PODCAST | ep14 | with Arthur Kleinman, Hong-Tu Chen, Ann Forsyth, and Fawwaz Habbal  People aged sixty-five and older make up the fastest growing population around the world, posing unique challenges to societies. A Harvard initiative called Social Technology for Global Aging Research is founded on the belief that there’s a great potential for technologies and interventions to benefit the elderly, but only if they are developed with a deep understanding of day-to-day life. In the scope of this collaboration, technology for the elderly covers a wide range of needs—from engineering hardware for mobility to designing living environments and even tackling the logistics of meeting friends for tea. It’s an expansive collaboration between Harvard scholars and their Chinese counterparts. We speak with four collaborators who share fascinating examples of their work. Listen to episode #14 (44:28) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Social Technology for Aging Societies

The ataman (head) of the “All-Russian Cossack Society,” Nikolai Doluda, addressed a meeting of the Atamans’ Council, in Krasnodar Krai, on February 4, and instructed those gathered that “the time has come when the Cossacks are once again becoming a stronghold and reliable shield of Russia, a guarantor of unity and protection of its national interests” (Vsko.ru, February 4). The … The post As Ukraine Crisis Simmers, Russian Cossack Movement Tightens Integration With Military Reserves appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games Over the last several years, Ukraine’s leaders have expressed grave concern over the dangers posed to regional energy security by Russia’s Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline. From Germany and, more broadly, from Europe, the … The post The Many Faces of Nord Stream Two appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games On July 28, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrated the 1,033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus—a remarkable annual event for Ukrainian history and another reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political speculations. After the Ecumenical … The post Religion as a Hybrid War Weapon to Achieve Russia’s Geopolitical Goals appeared first on Jamestown.

On May 25, just ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the First Georgian Republic’s (1918–1921) independence, Georgian protesters paralyzed the streets of the capital city of Tbilisi in the largest rally to date against the Namakhvani Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project (Civil.ge, May 25, 26). Relatively small demonstrations against the planned dam, by locals organized under the banner “Guardians of … The post Namakhvani HPP: Georgian Hydropower Between Energy Security and Geopolitics appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games The Russian Cossack movement is emerging as one of the key social pillars supporting the regime, and increasingly it is taking on the mold of Kuban Cossackdom, found in the southern part of the country. … The post All Russian Cossacks Increasingly Resemble Krasnodar Movement appeared first on Jamestown.

On April 21, Vasily Piskarev, the head of the State Duma’s commission to investigate the facts of interference in the internal affairs of Russia, announced that his body was preparing legislative initiatives to combat foreign interference in Russia, including in its elections, by non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Piskarev said that “insults against Russia” will receive a “worthy response, including … The post Russia Cracks Down on ‘Foreign Threats’ appeared first on Jamestown.

On February 20, Ruslan Ablyakimov was walking in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, with two friends when he was stopped by six young men who proceeded to beat him. “Where did you come here from?” they asked, “You are from Moscow, right? What are you doing here?” Before the men left Ablyakimov, they told him, “You have until tomorrow to … The post Alexei Navalny’s Support in the North Caucasus: More About Corruption Than Navalny appeared first on Jamestown.

The foreign and security policy expert communities in Georgia (Neweurope.eu, November 17) as well as both the outgoing and candidate Lithuanian defense ministers (LRT, November 16, 19) have called for a permanent presence of United States military forces in their respective countries. These calls indicate a hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Joseph Biden will bring greater attention to … The post Georgia, Lithuania Call for Permanent US Troop Presences appeared first on Jamestown.

In the first week of August, cellphones across Russia lit up with surprising text messages. They came from different numbers, but each said the same thing in Russian: “The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information about interference in the US elections. If you have information, contact rfj.tips/bngc.” The State Department confirmed the messages were authentic … The post US Messaging to Russian Citizens: Time to Step It Up? appeared first on Jamestown.

Recent comments by former vice president of the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia Valery Arshba indicate a split between the older political elite and the current administration of President Aslan Bzhania (Gazeta-ra.info, October 19; Civil.ge, October 23). Arshba called for the breakaway republic to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, “without losing [its] sovereignty.” Arshba himself has a … The post Former Abkhazian Separatist Official Calls for Joining Russia-Belarus Union State appeared first on Jamestown.