A sobering “Critical Alert” issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) this afternoon is warning all Russian diplomatic personal and civilian workers currently residing in the United States that an “imminent terror attack” should be expected to occur during the next fortnight, up to and including 12 February. The three-level alarm system of terrorism threats issued in this report was... 

The House voted on legislation Wednesday that will raise the debt ceiling for three months and delay a US default. Even though this is just a short term fix, the Obama administration said it supports it. The legislation prevented a devastating default of US debt and payments next month and instead give Congress three more months to come up with an agreement on the budget, taxes, spending and the deficit.... 

Employees of “Auto Chassis International” owned by French automaker Renault, attend a rally to protest against job cuts in Le Mans, western France on January 23, 2013. Renault has officially warned unions that car factories will close unless they seal an agreement of salary cuts and thousands of layoffs in the floundering company. “If there is no deal, it is impossible to leave things... 

In 2012, full-time union members had a median weekly salary of USD 943, with their non-union counterparts earning only USD 742. A new report shows that American labor unions have experienced their worst decline in membership in nearly 80 years, mainly due to losses of public sector workers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday that the union membership rate fell from 11.8 to 11.3 percent... 

French car sales slump 7.8% percent in October. France’s Renault has announced some 7,500 layoffs by 2016 as the floundering company seeks to sharpen its competitive edge. Renault said on Tuesday that it has settled with unions over making 5,700 redundancies through natural attrition after making employees retire three years earlier. “If an agreement is signed with unions, this staff redeployment... 

Greek lawmakers have approved a new tax legislation intended to increase government revenues by 2.3 billion-euro (3 billion USD) in the following months. The new tax bill was approved with the support of the majority of the lawmakers in the 300-member parliament early on Saturday. The new legislation aims to tax any income above 42,000 euros (56,000 USD) per year at 42 percent. The passage of the... 

American health is in decline as new data finds that one in four US kids are on food stamps as of fiscal year 2011 and the younger generation is more prone to death and poorer health levels compared to their counterparts in other developed nations. Almost 20 million children out of 73.9 million under the age of 18 were in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, in 2011,... 

Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras arrives at the Finance and Development Ministry in Athens for a meeting with the Development minister, January 9, 2013. New official data show that Greece’s unemployment rate increased to 26.8 percent in October as the eurozone country witnesses a sixth year of recession. “Unemployment in October 2012 was 26.8 percent, compared with 19.7 percent in October... 

Eurozone jobless rate hits new record at 11.8 percent in November 2012. Official data show the unemployment rate in the eurozone has hit a new record in November, 2012, as the 17-nation bloc continues to grapple with worsening financial crisis. According to official figures, the jobless rate for November reached 11.8 percent, up from 11.7 percent in October. November comes as the eurozone’s 19th... 

Spaniards protest against austerity measures in the capital Madrid, December 17, 2012. A jobless Spanish man has died at a hospital after setting himself on fire, only two days after another Spaniard self-immolated on social and economic grounds. The 63-year-old man, who suffered from financial problems, died in the Carlos Haya hospital in the southern city of Malaga on Friday. Police officials issued... 

President Barack Obama wasn’t lying when he said he’d raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans if reelected — but it won’t be just the top wage-earners who will be handing over more to Uncle Sam in 2013. Under a last minute Capitol Hill agreement expected to avert the much-feared ‘fiscal cliff’ disaster that has dominated politics in recent weeks, working Americans across the board will... 

The situation in the U.S. city of Detroit is critical. The city is dying out at an alarming rate. Currently, the financial condition of the former center of the American automotive industry is so bad that senators are seriously considering the possibility of dissolution of the city and distribution of its assets among other cities of the State of Michigan. In mid-December of 2012, Senator Rick Jones... 

The Euro logo outside the headquarters of the European Central Bank, Frankfurt am Main Germany. Manufacturing sectors in France and other eurozone countries have entered 2013 in a downward trend as new data shows a decrease in demand of orders. Contractions of manufacturing in the eurozone in December included all top four economies in the bloc, according to Markit’s manufacturing Purchasing Managers’... 

After Republicans dropped their demands for additional spending cuts the House approved legislation meant to avert the ‘fiscal cliff’. The representatives lined up 257 to 167 in favor of the bill. ­Earlier, the House Republicans expressed their opposition to the measure to avert the ‘fiscal cliff’ in its current form. GOP leaders were considering an amendment that would add some $330 million... 

US President Barack Obama is to have a meeting with Congressional leaders in an attempt to break the deadlock over the looming ‘fiscal cliff.’ Obama will hold talks with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Friday, a White House official said. Republican House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will also attend the meeting that...