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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton referred Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin as “a tough guy with a thin skin.” Clinton was speaking at UCLA where she added she supported the Obama administration’s efforts to reach a diplomatic solution in Ukraine. Clinton reiterated comments she made at a fundraiser in California on Tuesday afternoon, where she compared Russia’s decision to issue passports in the Crimean region to the “population transfers” carried out by Nazi Germany before World War II. “The claims by President Putin and other Russians that they had to go into Crimea and maybe further into Eastern...

MOSCOW (AFP) - The Kremlin condemned the "hateful" string of attacks and the "inhuman murders" of at least 39 people in Paris Friday, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Russian news agencies reported. President Vladimir Putin meanwhile offered condolences and support to his counterpart Francois Hollande and the French people, TASS news agency said.

"If approaching our coasts, the French nuclear aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' will be directly targeted" (Syrian General) The Syrian General Mohammad Issa, one of the top commanders of the Syrian army has threatened to target France's aircraft carrier directly if he dares to approach the Syrian coast. Interviewed by the Russian agency Sputnik, the Syrian General said: "The announcement made by France to involve the nuclear aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, in military operations in Syria will force the country's army to directly target the aircraft carriers". Focusing on French air strikes in Syria, Issa said: "These strikes target...

Arab media reports airstrikes that were attributed to Israel damaged military outposts on the outskirts of Damascus airport. The target of Israel's alleged airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday evening were Hezbollah weapons warehouses, Arab media affiliated with the opposition to Syrian Preisdent Basher Assad reported Thursday. Pro-Assad operatives on Facebook said that the strikes, adjacent to Damascus airport, struck "military outposts near the airport, and there is a high probability that it was IDF warplanes that struck." New portal 'Damascus Alan,' which is affiliated with the Assad regime, reported that heavy damage was caused to army outposts around the airport,...

Turkish President Ignores ISIS, Stokes Civil War with Kurds Anna Lekas Miller Nov. 10 2015, 12:56 p.m. SINCE TURKEY JOINED THE U.S.-LED COALITION to fight ISIS, its military actions have struck far more Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) targets than ISIS targets, leading many to suspect that the government is using ISIS as an excuse to reignite the civil war against the PKK and intimidate the Kurdish population. Critics argue, further, that Turkey’s failures to combat ISIS are calculated, given the Islamic State’s repeated attacks on Kurdish targets, such as the Suruc bombing last July and the Ankara bombing last month....

The ISIS terrorist group has released a video threatening to carry out attacks in Russia "very soon." The five-minute clip, published by ISIL's Al-Hayat Media Center, contains graphic images of previous attacks, accompanied by a chant in Russian. The group vows to "take back Caucasus and stop it from being ruled by dark forces," as well as to seize the Kremlin, and impose Sharia in Tatarstan.

At least 35 people have been killed and more than 180 others have been injured after two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a commercial area in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

Russia has been openly re-establishing its military presence in the Arctic for some time now, and recent satellite imagery may give some insight into Moscow's intentions. Detailed images collected by Stratfor's partners at AllSource Analysis clearly show Russia's ongoing construction and development of several permanent bases in the region. Two in particular, one on Alexandra Island and the other on Kotelny Island, reflect the broader pattern in Russia's Arctic activity: Moscow is looking to establish a monitoring outpost and stake a symbolic territorial claim, but it has not yet built up a full-blown combat presence.

Russia is key to end ‘third world war,’ Jordan’s king tells euronews 10/11 21:39 CET | updated 019:53 mn ago Russia is best positioned to bring a resolution to the war in Syria, Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein has told Euronews. In an exclusive interview in Amman, the King urged all sides to cooperate in the face of what he described as a “third world war.” “For a political solution in Syria, Moscow is key. They are the ones that can give the guarantees to the regime that they have a stake in the future,” he told Isabelle Kumar...

The United States spent a total of $5.9 billion to fund militaries around the world in 2014, according to the government’s 2015 Foreign Assistance report. Of that total, some 75%, or about $4.4 billion, was divided between Israel and Egypt. Clearly, the Middle East, at 64% of the pie, is the theme here, with Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon also found among the top 10 recipients. Closer to home, Colombia led the Americas with a relatively scant $29 million. Still, that’s enough to place it ninth overall on the list.

Currently about 50 Russian warplanes are carrying out round-the-clock airstrikes from its base in the war-torn country. The blitz against Islamic State is so heavy the terrorists have been forced to abandon their fortified installations and checkpoints on whatever means of transport they scrounge. Last month it was reported that the Sunni extremist group were using horses to travel around after bombs destroyed many of their armoured vehicles. Russia's Air Force chief Viktor Bondarev said: "ISIS are a very mobile gathering of rabble. "They use cars, motorbikes, bicycles and donkeys to move around and change their positions after every strike."

The United States and other global powers are helping Iran to update and reconstruct a nuclear reactor that has been suspected of helping the Islamic Republic produce enough material for a potential nuclear weapon, according to regional reports and statements from the State Department.

Are sanctions saving Russia? Oct 18,2015 - Last updated at Oct 18,2015 The economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the West in March 2014 have undoubtedly been painful. But they have so far failed to achieve the goal of weakening Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position. In fact, they may have the opposite effect, leaving Russia — and its president — even stronger than before. European Union countries are estimated to have lost about $100 billion in trade with Russia, hitting the likes of Bavarian dairy farmers and eastern German industrial exporters. Russian GDP, which grew modestly in 2014, contracted by...

Tue Nov 10, 2015 1:42pm EST Syrian army breaks two-year siege at Aleppo airbase: state TV Syrian soldiers fought their way into an airbase in northern Syria on Tuesday, state television said, breaking a nearly two-year siege by Islamic State insurgents at the facility and freeing military personnel holed up inside. A military source close to the government said the army was working to secure the Kweires airbase in Aleppo province, where soldiers and officers have been under attack since 2013. State television broadcast live footage from the airbase of an emotional, fatigue-clad reporter announcing the news, played victory songs...

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan says the country will take delivery of Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile defense system by the end of the year. Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Tuesday, the Iranian minister added that the "executive stage" of the agreement for the delivery of the missile system is over, adding that Iran will receive a "major part" of the shipment in less than two months. "We have concluded a contract with the Russian side and it has also been signed," Dehqan said in response to a question about an earlier report on an agreement between Tehran...

The United States and Gulf countries have been secretly backing efforts by opposition rebels to destroy al-Qaeda’s most extreme wing in Syria, diplomats and rebels involved in the plan have told The Telegraph. As Western leaders publicly push the Syrian regime and the opposition to the Geneva II peace conference that begins Wednesday Washington has also been quietly supporting moves by Saudi Arabia and Qatar to give weapons and cash to rebel groups to fight al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) in Syria. One source said the US was itself handing out millions of dollars to rebel groups...

CIA spies have smuggled up to 14 Stinger missiles into Syria so rebels can defend themselves from air strikes. The ground-to-air weapons have been delivered across the Turkish border to the Free Syrian Army and were partly paid for by Saudi Arabia, a security source claimed. President Bashar al-Assad’s MIG-23 warplanes and helicopter gunships have killed more than 1,000 people.

Wednesday brought a veritable smorgasbord of "new" information about the Russian passenger jet which fell out of the sky above the Sinai Peninsula last weekend. First there was an audio recording from ISIS' Egyptian affiliate reiterating that they did indeed “down” the plane. Next, the ISIS home office in Raqqa (or Langley or Hollywood) released a video of five guys sitting in the front yard congratulating their Egyptian “brothers” on the accomplishment. Then the UK grounded air traffic from Sharm el-Sheikh noting that the plane "may well" have had an "explosive device" on board. Finally, US media lit up with...

Wednesday brought a veritable smorgasbord of “new” information about the Russian passenger jet which fell out of the sky above the Sinai Peninsula last weekend. First there was an audio recording from ISIS’ Egyptian affiliate reiterating that they did indeed “down” the plane. Next, the ISIS home office in Raqqa (or Langley or Hollywood) released a video of five guys sitting in the front yard congratulating their Egyptian “brothers” on the accomplishment.

On November 2, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in New York, President Barack Obama poked fun at the Republicans, joking that if they cannot handle CNBC moderators how could they possibly handle Russia’s Vladimir Putin? “Every one of these candidates says, ‘Obama’s weak, Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s gonna straighten out.’ …and then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators!” Mr. Obama said. “I mean, let me tell you: if you can’t handle those guys,” he continued, laughing, “I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to...