Traditional words ‘father’ and ‘mother’ will be replaced with official terms Parent 1 and Parent 2 in Britain reported the BBC and the Daily Mail. The terms will be used in official documents. The authorities decided to make such a “politically correct” move to accommodate same-sex couples. Experts are sure, though, that the matter is not about the requirements... 

Photo of German prisoners rounded up by US Airborne troops in Ruhr A retired officer in the US army has apologized to the German army for the mass deaths of German prisoners in US army camps after World War Two. Following extensive private investigations in the US and Germany, Merrit P. Drucker has sent an e-mail to Lt. Col. Max Klaar, head of the Verband der deutscher Soldaten (German Veterans’... 

Sunday's rally began in the Shubra district of northern Cairo, then headed to the state television building along the Nile. At least 23 Egyptian Christians were killed last night as the country’s worst religious violence since February’s overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, the former president, convulsed the capital Cairo. The city’s fabled Tahrir Square, where people power triumphed... 

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Audronius Azubalis Lithuania’s top diplomat urged Moscow on Tuesday to start considering the issue of compensation for the Soviet-era “occupation” of his country. “I have encouraged Russia to open a dialogue on the joint evaluation of the past, the restoration of justice, compensation for the occupation, and problems of the investigation of crimes... 

Four in a marriage: Vicki Darger says that her husband has a 'higher purpose' Vicki Darger has a spacious home in the suburbs, her children attend public school and she couldn’t live without her Blackberry. Her life seems utterly unexclamatory. But, look a little further and it’s clear that Vicki lives a highly unconventional married life. Her husband, Joe, has fathered 24 children... 

France, Marseille: Pupils wait for entering their classroom at Fraissinet school, on the first day of the school year. Parents and teachers across France are up in arms over new textbooks which carry accounts of French history revised to avoid insulting ethnic minority pupils. They say common sense has been sacrificed to political correctness in French schools. ­Natives of France now fear their identity... 

The head of Iran's Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), Mohammad Baqer Khorramshad. The head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) says the Islamic Republic has climbed to the fourth rank in the area of nanotechnology in the world. Iran “ranks fourth in nanotechnology and thus lies at the top of the contemporary Islamic civilization,” the official,... 

On September 24, Austria celebrated the Day of St. Rupert. Residents of Salzburg on this occasion don traditional costumes, as if implying that there is such a country on the world map. Meanwhile, the process of gaining its own identity was (and remains) extremely difficult for Austria. The reason is the great past of the multinational Austrian Empire and a failed union with the brothers in the language... 

Saudi King Abdullah Saudi King Abdullah said on Sunday that women in Saudi Arabia are now allowed to vote, run in municipal elections and be appointed to the consultative Shura Council, local media reported. “Because we refuse to marginalize women in society in all roles that comply with sharia, we have decided, after deliberation with our senior ulama [clerics] and others… to involve women... 

Two experienced Lancashire social workers say that in their estimation there are 20,000 bigamous or polygamous unions in the UK. Ghulam is a taxi driver who lives in Blackburn, a once-booming textile town in Lancashire. He has a terrace house near his local mosque (one of 53 in the area), a silver Nissan car and a very complex private life. For he has so many children that he struggles to remember... 

Controversial space: The buildings that are to become the Park51 mosque and cultural centre, just two blocks from where the twin towers stood before the 9/11 terror attacks. The first part of Park51, the controversial Lower Manhattan Islamic community centre, is opening on Wednesday with an art exhibition featuring photographs of children. Just a few blocks away from the site where the Twin Towers... 

THE PURPOSE: NASA's "recommendations" of no-fly zones are for preserving and protecting Apollo missions' historical sites and artefacts. No-fly zones will come into effect on the moon for the very first time by the end of this month! Why, even buffer zones that spacecraft may have to avoid will come into existence. The reason: avoiding any spraying of rocket exhaust or dust onto certain... 

As the world remembers 3000 people killed in the United States on the tragic events of 9/11, demonstrators gathered in New York City in a memorial for the victims of the “global war on terror”. Organizers say the event is to commemorate fallen soldiers and those forgotten. Led by artists, activists and organizations across the country the memorial is to cry out in protest and grief with... 

Islamic terrorism remains the greatest threat to Sweden, according to Anders Danielsson, head of Sweden’s Security Service (Säpo). Speaking at a seminar on Monday on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the terror attacks on the US on September 11th 2001, Danielsson said that the strength of al-Qaeda had been greatly weakened in recent years. The threat from al-Qaeda could be complicated... 

Police who patrol Malmö’s Rosengård district are being offered a special Arabic language class to help them better understand and communicate with local residents in the predominantly immigrant area. So far 45 officers have signed up for voluntary twelve-week class, which will provide training on a number of common greetings and pleasantries in Arabic, the local Skånska Dagbladet newspaper...