Inflation is still calculated using a “market basket” to determine prices. But since 1980, other factors have been added to reflect a changing economy. Still, it might be useful to measure today’s rate of inflation using 1979 methods. CNBC’s Fast Money gives us the bad news: “Inflation, using the reporting methodologies in place before 1980, hit an annual rate of 9.6... 

Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini on Tuesday said comments made by a fellow minister about dropping out of the European Union were made during the heat of the moment amid a spat over illegal immigration. “I don’t think he said anything about leaving Europe. He expressed strong disappointment , irritation and anger. Europe is and will be an extraordinary opportunity for us,”... 

While most pundits – and some senior politicians – stare in wonder at the size of the mining industry’s windfall profits, they are missing a great tragedy happening under their noses. The mining boom has pushed the Australian dollar to historic highs and this, in turn, has pushed manufacturing to the brink. The damage being done by the high dollar to the rest of the economy is actually... 

China on Tuesday voiced its appreciation of the efforts made by the African Union (AU) to end the crisis in war-torn Libya. “We have noted the diplomatic efforts by the AU mediators in Libya in the recent days and the roadmap they proposed to end the crisis,” Hong Lei, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a routine press conference. Hong praised the efforts and expressed his hope... 

A reported willingness by the White House to vote for the creation of a Palestinian state in the UN signals unprecedented trust issues with Netanyahu’s government and will likely exacerbate US-Israeli relations. US President Barack Obama announced a decision to recognise the creation of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders, adding that the US will vote as such in the United Nations, reported... 

President Bashar al-Assad blames conspirators for the unrest sweeping Syria. Witnesses claim soldiers who disobeyed orders in Banias were shot by security services as crackdown on protests intensifies. Syrian soldiers have been shot by security forces after refusing to fire on protesters, witnesses said, as a crackdown on anti-government demonstrations intensified. Witnesses told al-Jazeera and the... 

Michael Ignatieff, leader of the Liberal party of Canada gets confronted about the Bilderberg group, the North American Union, and Fluoride. At a stop in Hamilton Ontario. For his part, Ignatieff answered the question about his opponent Harper’s Bilderberg visits and officially denounced secrecy. Among Ignatieff’s sappy speech lines is that “It is time for a change.” Somehow, I think I’ve... 

Protesters gather at a large anti-war rally in Union Square on April 9, 2011 in New York City. Thousands of Americans have staged a protest rally in New York City to voice concerns over US war and foreign policies as well as the economy and the persisting reduction of social programs. Scores of peace, labor and community activists took to the streets of the major commercial city on Saturday to call... 

Kremlin's human rights council, Mikhail Fedotov (photo), said the report was "propaganda material". Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are the three European countries with the worst record on human rights in 2010, the U.S. State Department said in an annual survey released Friday. The survey, “2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices,” covered 194 countries worldwide, excluding... 

People gather around the scene where a blast occured in Minsk, capital of Belarus, April 11, 2011. Twelve people were killed and 126 were wounded in a blast that struck a metro station in the Belarussian capital Minsk. The authorities said the blast is suspected to be a terrorist act. “126 victims were hospitalized, 22 of them – in serious condition, 30 – are moderately wounded,”... 

The risks associated with iodine-131 contamination in Europe are no longer “negligible,” according to CRIIRAD, a French research body on radioactivity. The NGO is advising pregnant women and infants against “risky behaviour,” such as consuming fresh milk or vegetables with large leaves. In response to thousands of inquiries from citizens concerned about fallout from the Fukushima... 

A recent chemical spill at a water treatment facility in Rock Island, Ill., required the assistance of an emergency relief crew decked in the very same type of hazmat suits being worn by workers at the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant in Japan. Except instead of radiation, the leaked chemical at the water plant was actually hydrofluorosilicic acid, a chemical fluoride component commonly added to... 

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei gestures for questions at a press briefing in China's capital Beijing. China has called on the United States to stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries under the pretext of human rights issues. China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei urged Washington to focus on improving its own human rights conditions, saying,... 

People's reaction when they saw the news about the earthquake. A 6.6-magnitude aftershock rattled Japan today on the one-month anniversary of the twin disasters that left at least 25,000 dead and officials scrambling to prevent a meltdown at damaged nuclear reactors. A 3-foot tsunami warning was issued after the temblor hit the northeast coast 5:16 p.m. local time. All advisories and warnings... 

This week, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, report on the black hole of bankers’ debts in Ireland, virtual pigs in Australia and free workers in America. In the second half of the show, Max talks to Alex Jones about food stamps and financial terror.  Read More »