Author: RT

Trump to stress US allies’ defense spending at NATO summit next month – White House President Donald Trump will try to convince US allies that they should increase defense spending, when he attends a meeting of NATO leaders next month in London, the White House said on Friday. Trump will attend the NATO meeting from December 2 to December 4, and will also stress NATO’s readiness to respond to terrorist threats and cyber-attacks that target infrastructure and telecommunications networks, his press secretary Stephanie Grisham said. The president and first lady Melania Trump will also attend a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. This week, Trump met at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. The US president has long pushed allies to...

Lebanese protesters angered by announced designation of new PM – report Protesters in Lebanon who have been demanding radical reform have reacted with anger to the reported designation of a new prime minister they regard as emblematic of a failed political system, AFP reported. Ex-finance minister Mohammad Safadi has agreed to be Lebanon’s next PM if he wins the support of its major parties and the process to name him should begin on Monday, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil told broadcaster MTV on Friday. Demonstrators in his hometown of Tripoli rejected Safadi, and reportedly gathered in front of one of his properties to protest the nomination. Second city Tripoli has been one of the main hubs of the month-old protest movement, with nightly rallies in its main squares. Outgoing...

Turkey sends 6,000 Syrians from Istanbul to temporary centers – governor Turkey has sent more than 6,000 Syrian migrants in Istanbul to temporary housing centers in other provinces since early July, the local governor’s office said on Friday. The statement came  two weeks after a deadline for Syrians not registered in the city to leave. Authorities had given Syrians not registered in Istanbul until October 30 to move to another province or face forced removal from the city. The Istanbul governor’s office said 6,416 unregistered Syrians were removed from Istanbul since July 12. Turkey hosts more than 3.6 million Syrians, the largest population of Syrians displaced by an eight-year civil war. The number of Syrians in Istanbul, a city of some 15 million, has swelled to more than ...

White House releases text of 1st phone call between Trump & Zelensky NEW ?... as the second impeachment hearing is about to gavel in, the White House released the first convo between trump and Zelensky. Here it is pic.twitter.com/El8dg4EIvU— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) November 15, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js #BREAKING — First Ukraine call is OUT.President Trump says “we will see you, very soon, regardless” to Ukraine President Zelensky.#ImpeachmentInquiry @WUSA9 pic.twitter.com/fmn2mxIKLM— Mike Valerio (@MikevWUSA) November 15, 2019 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js DETAILS TO FOLLOW White House releases text of 1st phone call between Trump & Zelensky Source: RT

Blockchain ‘to challenge American hegemony over world finance’ in next 5-7 years, analyst tells Boom Bust Chinese blockchain firm OneConnect has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States, seeking to raise $100 million. The company deals with financial technology, including artificial intelligence. RT’s Boom Bust is joined by Jeffrey Tucker from the American Institute for Economic Research, who says the news is “very exciting.” “We’re living at a time when blockchain technology is going mainstream, and with that come good things and bad things,” says Tucker. According to him, blockchain technology is “awesome” as it provides “50,000 transactions per second with ‘permissionless,’ effortless results.” ...

Russia, Norway & Lithuania conduct spy exchange Lithuania, Russia and Norway conducted an exchange of spies on Friday, the head of Lithuanian counter intelligence said. The three states secured the return of several captured agents to their home countries, Reuters reported. Earlier in the day, Lithuania’s president pardoned two Russians jailed for espionage, and Moscow said it would reciprocate the move by releasing two Lithuanians. The moves paved the way for a three-way spy swap also involving Norway. Lithuanian media said last month that discussions were under way on exchanging two Russians jailed in Lithuania, two Lithuanians sentenced for spying in Russia and a Norwegian jailed in Russia for spying. Russia, Norway & Lithuania conduct spy exchange ...