US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey says the European Union faces potential breakup and civil unrest. “The eurozone is at great risk,” the top US officer told reporters on Friday, expressing doubt about the practicality of the measures taken by European leaders. Dempsey said it was not clear if the measures... 

Russia provided an original response to the Kosovo Serbs who asked Russia for citizenship in a desperate attempt to find at least some protection from the Albanian militants. Instead of Russian passports or military assistance Russia sent to northern Kosovo blankets and food. On December 7 a convoy of 25 cars of MOE Russia set off to the Balkans from the city of Noginsk located in Moscow region. Residents... 

Bastion coastal missile Fulfilling a contract signed in 2007, Russia has supplied Bastion coastal missile systems with Yakhont cruise missiles to Syria under a contract signed in 2007, a diplomatic source in Moscow has told Russian media. Objecting to Western fears that the defensive weapons system will fall into the hands of terrorist groups, a diplomatic source says that Moscow has fulfilled its... 

There’s a state of unease within Nokia at the moment and unsurprisingly so. With the first Nokia-Microsoft lovechild now out in the market (the Lumia 800, you might have heard of it) and an aggressive marketing strategy in place to drum up interest in Windows Phone-laden Nokia’s coming fresh out of the factory, the Finnish company have been waiting with bated breath to see how consumers... 

Protesters in Belgium on Friday, December 2, 2011 Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the Belgian capital, Brussels, in protest to austerity measures proposed by the country’s incoming government. On Friday, Belgians marched in central Brussels to voice their opposition to cuts the incoming government says are necessary to help the country’s troubled financial sector,... 

Russian warship docking in Cuba Russia has decided to resume defense cooperation with the country, which remains in a state of a conflict with the United States, even though it is situated very close to US borders. It goes about Cuba. Russia will resume cooperation with this country against the background of the rising tensions in the US-Russian relations. Russia’s defense export giant Rosoboronexport... 

Soldiers stand guard as an armored truck containing gold reserves arrives to the Central Bank in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday Nov. 25, 2011. Venezuela has begun to repatriate the South American nation’s gold treasures held in Western banks in a move to protect the country against economic crises in the United States and Europe, a report says. The shipment of gold arrived in Venezuela on Friday... 

On November 25, two days after a failed German government bond auction in which Germany was unable to sell 35% of its offerings of 10-year bonds, the German finance minister, Wolfgang Schaeuble said that Germany might retreat from its demands that the private banks that hold the troubled sovereign debt from Greece, Italy, and Spain must accept part of the cost of their bailout by writing off some... 

The World Bank assessment suggests that Thailand economic growth will shrink to 2.4% from the previously projected 3.6%, following the recent flood in the country, Press TV reports. Experts believe it will probably take a year of hard work and billions of dollars before Thailand fully recovers. The cost of flooding is estimated to be around $43 Billion, but the amount is expected to rise further due... 

China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin China has expressed opposition to the new unilateral sanctions imposed against Iran by some Western states, warning that they would “exacerbate” the situation. “We believe pressuring and sanctions cannot fundamentally solve the Iranian nuclear issue. On the contrary, they will complicate and exacerbate the issue and intensify confrontation,”... 

America’s middle class is disappearing as growing income inequality creates more families in areas either mostly rich or poor, a report says. Around 44 per cent of families live in middle-income neighbourhoods – down from 65 per cent in 1970, the Stanford University study shows. Meanwhile a third of families in the U.S. now live in either rich or poor areas, which has more than doubled on... 

The German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) chaired by Angela Merkel urged to introduce changed in the Lisbon Treaty and other European agreements stipulating an opportunity for European countries to pull out from the eurozone. The countries would preserve their EU membership in such a move. Greece has a new government, but it has not led to any positive changes. The problem of the national debt crisis... 

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he would raise American concerns about the unintended consequences of any military action against Iran during talks with his Israeli counterpart on Friday, including its potential impact on the world economy. Panetta, speaking to reporters traveling with him to Canada, said the United States believed the most effective way to confront Iran still was to use... 

(L-R) Nursultan Nazarbayev, Dmitry Medvedev and Aleksandr Lukashenko Three former Soviet republics have launched a new regional integration project, with at least two others on track to join in. Critics accuse Moscow of rebuilding the USSR, but architects of project say the aim is to become a better version of the EU. The idea of the Eurasian Union – initially between Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan... 

Late night calls: Barack Obama made contact with several European leaders to demand faster action Barack Obama has read the riot act to the leaders of several European countries – saying more dramatic action is needed to avert a eurozone meltdown. The U.S. President made telephone calls to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano...