The EU has suspended the ratification of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and referred the text to the European Court of Justice to investigate possible rights breaches. The European Commission decided on Wednesday to ask the EU’s top court “to clarify that the ACTA agreement and its implementation must be fully compatible with freedom of expression and freedom of the internet.” The... 

Protesters in Valencia on February 21, 2012. In the Spanish city of Valencia, hundreds of people gathered to protest against tough spending cuts imposed by the government and growing police violence. A day after police forces violently clashed with students protesting over spending cuts, peaceful protesters gathered outside the Instituto Lluis Vives, across the city’s main train station. On Monday,... 

Iranian Warship An Iranian flotilla has arrived in a Syrian port to provide maritime training to the country’s navy, media reports. It’s only the second time Iranian warships have sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The ships have docked in the Syrian port of Tartus some 220 kilometres from the capital. They are due to take part in a joint training exercise with Syrian navy which... 

David Cameron has said he would consider further powers for Scotland, but only after a referendum. David Cameron made his boldest move yet in the campaign to stop Scotland voting for independence by offering the country more freedom from Westminster if it votes no in the coming referendum. Speaking to business leaders in the capital, Edinburgh, the prime minister said the referendum did not have to... 

Greek pensioners protesting in Athens. In Greece, angry pensioners have once again taken to the streets in the capital Athens to protest against the government’s tough spending cuts. The pensioners gathered to express opposition with lawmakers’ decision to slash another 325 million euros in wages, pensions, and jobs, as demanded by the European Union and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in order... 

Around 300,000 organic farmers think that Monsanto, the biotech giant known for genetically modifying Mother Nature’s handwork for profit and pushing over the little guys all the while, is pretty seedy. Now a judge in New York is debating if Monsanto’s questionable methods will go before a jury. Judge Naomi Buchwald of the Southern District Court of New York says she will have a decision on March... 

The long-range missile for Russia’s state-of-the-art S-400 Triumf (Triumph) anti-aircraft complex is to be created this year. “As a matter of fact, we are at the stage when the development of the missile is about to be completed. I believe that the task will be accomplished in 2012,” Alexander Zelin, the commander of Russia’s Air Force said. “The S-400 is a new system,... 

A top NRA official has gone on the record with his belief that if Obama is elected for a second term he plans to effectively end the 2nd amendment with an all out ban on guns. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said that Obama’s 1st term low key approach on gun rights was a conspiracy to ensure reelection for a second term where he plans a full destruction of Americans 2nd amendment rights. An... 

Protestors, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, take part in a demonstration in Stockholm. Germany has delayed signing the ACTA treaty on intellectual property theft after its Justice Ministry voiced its concerns about the legislation. It is the fifth EU country to challenge approval of the debated treaty. ­The Justice Ministry said that the European Parliament should vote on ACTA before it is considered... 

“Together it is possible” was the theme for the World Cancer Day 2012 – however, cancer kills millions of people every year and up to a third of cases can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle, according to statistics released by the World Health Organization. Let us then, together, declare war on this scourge. How many families are there in the world who have experienced at least... 

In the fourth part of his pre-election manifesto published in Kommersant daily on Monday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin touts the internet as an electronic means for making democracy more responsive to the people. The premier is running for president in next month’s election. Expressing the importance of “indispensable” democratic principles, Putin stresses at the same time that democracy-building... 

Syria could get another chance at a diplomatic escape route from its continuing political crisis as the Russian delegation has arrived on Tuesday to hold talks with President Assad. A last-ditch delegation to Damascus bearing a personal message for Bashar al-Assad from President Medvedev has been welcomed by thousands of people lining the streets of the Syrian capital. Russian FM is holding talks... 

It took researches 30 years of drilling through a four-kilometer-thick ice to reach the renowned subglacial lake. Most importantly, million years-old secrets will be unveiled without causing harm to the lake’s ecosystem. ­“Yesterday [on Sunday] our scientists at the Vostok polar station in the Antarctic completed drilling at depths of 3,768 meters and reached surface of the subglacial lake,”... 

Gendarme forces move toward protesters in Piata Universitatii square, Bucharest January 19, 2012. Romania’s Prime Minster Emil Boc has resigned following weeks of public protest against IMF-backed austerity measures amid the debt crisis sweeping the European Union. Announcing his resignation on Television on Monday, Boc said that he wanted to “defuse political and social tension” and... 

Brazilian police officers block an area during a demo. Nineteen people have died on the third day of clashes between Brazilian government forces and striking police officers in the northeastern city of Salvador, Press TV reports. Large shops and supermarkets were looted during the clashes and riots on Friday. Meanwhile, the authorities have dispatched around 2,000 army soldiers and a group of elite...