Thailand’s army has declared martial law across the country amid the political tensions over the past months. A Thai army statement said the decision was made “to restore peace and order for people from all sides.” The Thai government says it is still in office and has not been consulted on a military rule. Tensions deepened in Thailand after the Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Yingluck... 

​Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to send troops back to bases from drills they were having in the southwestern regions of Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk, on the border with Ukraine. “As the planned spring stage of the drills, which included redeployment of the troops to training areas in Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions, has come to an end, Russian President... 

US and Israeli soldiers pose for a photo during a military drill held in 2012. US and Israeli military forces begin a massive joint military exercise, dubbed Juniper Cobra, in Israel, according to Israeli officials. Some 1,000 US troops from the United States European Command are now in Israel to take part in the biennial sdrill, Xinhua quoted Israeli radio as reporting. Tel Aviv claims the five-day... 

Cops in armored vehicle asked by residents “Are you coming to take our guns away?” In an interview with Fox 59, a Morgan County, Indiana Police Sergeant admits that the increasing militarization of domestic police departments is partly to deal with returning veterans who are now seen as a homegrown terror threat. In a chilling story entitled Armed for War: Pentagon surplus gives local police an... 

A draft law submitted to the Russian parliament seeks to impose punishment up to criminal prosecution to producers of genetically-modified organisms harmful to health or the environment. The draft legislation submitted on Wednesday amends Russia’s law regulating GMOs and some other laws and provides for disciplinary action against individuals and firms, which produce or distribute harmful biotech... 

A troubling new report released by the Ministry of Civil Defense, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM) today states that President Putin has issued a dreaded “Black Notice” to all Russian ministries banning the foreign travel of all “vital and essential” civilian and military persons under the powers granted to him by Articles 87 and 88 of the Constitution. The... 

Is the petrodollar monopoly about to be shattered? When U.S. politicians started slapping economic sanctions on Russia, they probably never even imagined that there might be serious consequences for the United States. But now the Russian media is reporting that the Russian Ministry of Finance is getting ready to pull the trigger on a “de-dollarization” plan. For decades, virtually all oil and... 

Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk Ukraine has accused Russia of stealing energy resources in Crimea and threatened to take Russia to court over its recent gas price increases. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s interim Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that the Ukrainian government would take Russia to court unless it agreed to a gas supply contract based on market prices. He also said... 

Kiev has summoned the Hungarian ambassador over remarks made by Prime Minister Viktor Orban about autonomy for Hungarians living in Ukraine. Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the Hungarian premier’s call for autonomy and dual citizenship of ethnic Hungarians living in the western Ukrainian province of Transcarpathia. The ministry said Orban’s comments contradict Ukrainian laws. The... 

Ukrainian troops outside the town of Andreyevskoe near Slaviyansk, Donetsk Region, where local residents blocked a column of Ukrainian Army armored personnel carriers. About 400 elite mercenaries from the notorious US private security firm Academi (formerly Blackwater) are taking part in the Ukrainian military operation against anti-government protesters in southeastern regions of the country, German... 

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Israel has condemned Israeli hate crimes against local Christians and Muslims. Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal told a news conference in the city of Haifa on Sunday that the acts of vandalism “poison the atmosphere” ahead of a visit by Pope Francis to Jerusalem. The Pope’s visit is set to begin in Jordan on May 24 and he is due to spend two days in Israel... 

Donbass residents vote in the referendum on the status of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Donetsk People’s Republic has proclaimed itself a sovereign state and has asked Moscow to consider its accession into Russia, the Republic’s council said. “We, the people of Donetsk, based on results of the May 11 referendum and the declaration of sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s... 

Polling stations have closed in Ukraine’s self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk after a referendum on independence from the Kiev government. The turnout reached over 70 percent, according to organizers of the poll. The last polling stations in Lugansk and Donetsk regions wrapped up their work at 23:00 local time (20:00 GMT). There is no minimum voter turnout required for... 

Tensions have flared up on the Korean Peninsula as North Korea issued its latest nuclear threat two days after Seoul said Pyongyang was making final preparations to conduct its fourth nuclear test. North Korea has “clarified its resolute stand that it would take countermeasures including nuclear test to protect the sovereignty and dignity of the” country, the official Korean Central News Agency... 

The United States and European Union are causing an international scandal by committing genocide in east Ukraine, a political analyst tells Press TV. “[US Secretary of State] Mr. John Kerry and Victoria Nuland at the State Department and President [Barack] Obama, who seems to be just funking the issue, and also the EU apparatus like [British Foreign Minister] William Hague, they all should be ashamed...