Oil posted its biggest annual rise since 2009 as the rapid Covid-19 vaccine rollout across the world stimulated the reopening of economies, boosting consumption, while oil output remains limited after the pandemic slump. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) advanced 55% for the biggest year-to-date gain in over a decade, …
Read More »Who gains from a sectarian war in Afghanistan?
The surge in atrocities comes at a challenging time for the new Taliban government which is trying to establish international recognition as the legitimate authorities of Afghanistan. Much of the Taliban claim to rule relies on assurances that it would bring stability and security following the historic withdrawal of all …
Read More »Russian elections: Communists set sights on major gains, but Western pundits are already dusting off their ‘rigged vote’ rhetoric
Russia’s constitution is sometimes described as “super-presidential.” It concentrates enormous powers in the hands of the head of state, including the right to appoint ministers, initiate legislation, and issue decrees. While the parliament does in theory have the right to remove the president, the impeachment process in practice makes this …
Read More »WHO declares 3rd wave of Covid-19 pandemic, says gains from vaccines have been reversed as Delta variant spreads
The global number of infections has risen for four straight weeks with the Delta variant now present in 111 countries, and deaths are rising again after 10 straight weeks of declines, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. Speaking to the WHO’s Emergency Committee on Covid-19, he said the …
Read More »As Taliban gains ground, Pentagon says US withdrawal from Afghanistan more than 90% complete
“The withdrawal process continues; US Central Command estimates that we have completed more than 90 percent of the entire withdrawal process,” the military command said in a statement on Tuesday. Central Command added that more than 17,000 pieces of equipment had been transferred to the Defenсe Logistics Agency for disposition, …
Read More »Why did bitcoin suddenly erase all of this year’s gains? RT’s Boom Bust has the answer
After a strong start to 2021, when we saw bitcoin breaking records on a daily and even hourly basis, the price of the cryptocurrency has faced wild swings. On Friday, it plunged below $30,000 for the first time in nearly three weeks, but recouped some of those losses since then …
Read More »New Caledonia votes to remain part of France, but independence movement gains traction
Those opposed to independence prevailed with 53.26 percent of the vote, compared to the 46.74 percent who wanted New Caledonia to become a sovereign nation, France’s overseas ministry said. French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the results and expressed his “gratitude.” He said earlier that France would be “less beautiful” without …
Read More »Communists & Nationalists poised to make gains in Russian regional elections, but Western-leaning liberals unlikely to prosper
Over the weekend, some 35 million Russians will have the opportunity to vote in local elections in about a third of the country’s regions. Electors will vote for 22 city councils, 18 regional governors, and 11 regional parliaments. Pundits are watching carefully to see if the results provide any indications …
Read More »Revisionist scholars risk reversing decades of women’s gains when they declare an unearthed Viking woman warrior is transgender
When DNA testing confirmed a tenth-century skeleton found buried with the trappings of a high-status Viking warrior had two X chromosomes, intersectional revisionists got to work injecting 21st century realities into the culture in which the warrior lived and died. The warrior woman discovered in Birka, whose tomb was first …
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