A London charity has imported steel containers from China and converted them into bargain basement homes, as part of a novel solution to try and solve homelessness amid soaring rents in the British capital. A hostel in east London has come up with the ingenious idea of converting a shipping container from China into a tiny low cost home for hard up and desperate Londoners. Although it’s only a steel... 

Human rights groups warn David Cameron against pressure on media over Snowden leaks. Human rights groups have raised concerns about pressure exerted by British Prime Minister David Cameron on media covering intelligence leaks from American whistleblower Edward Snowden. Some seventy rights organizations from across the world have written to Cameron to warn that the government’s reaction to media... 

NSA whistleblower, Edward Snowden, is ready to go to Germany and testify over the US wiretapping of Angela Merkel’s phone on condition of granting him political asylum, a German MP who met Snowden has said. He also revealed the text of Snowden’s letter. Former contractor of the US National Security Agency, Snowden on Friday indicated he is ready to testify over the facts about the American snooping... 

Amaya Muñoz cries in the arms of friends on being evicted from her home; the operation was conducted by 100 police officers. This is the mirror image of the horror affecting countless families across Spain, who are losing their jobs and their homes in the most shocking wave of austerity. Amaya Muñoz is the drama of the Spanish population facing austerity policies: she is jobless and homeless. “You... 

Romania has begun building a military base that will become part of a controversial US-led NATO missile defense system stationed in Europe. The launch of the construction works in southern Romania was attended on Monday by both Romanian President Train Basescu and US Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller. The construction is taking place at the Deveselu Military Base and is scheduled... 

In an effort to attract a booming class of wealthy Muslim investors, Britain will be the first non-Islamic country to issue sovereign Islamic bonds, Prime Minister David Cameron has announced on Tuesday. Islamic finance is an opportunity not to be missed: Islamic investments have jumped 150 percent in the last seven years, and are due to be worth $2.1 trillion (£1.3 trillion) by 2014; Cameron told... 

The European Union is considering a possible imposition of sanctions on the United States as a response to Washington’s massive spying activities on its closest European allies. German officials said Monday that the EU is considering suspending a data-sharing agreement between the EU and the US. The agreement allows the United States access to funds transferred through the private, Belgium-based... 

Controlling social behavior: Proposal could ban criticism of Islam, feminism! A frightening proposal currently being considered by the European Parliament would direct governments to monitor citizens deemed “intolerant” and could even lead to a ban on all criticism of Islam and feminism. The European Framework National Statute for the Promotion of Tolerance (PDF), which was drafted by the European... 

Spain’s public prosecutor has opened a preliminary inquiry into allegations that the US spy agency has conducted illegal surveillance operations on millions of Spanish citizens. Spain’s Attorney General Eduardo Torres-Dulce called for an information gathering process to determine whether a crime was committed and if Spain should consider opening a formal investigation, his office said in a statement... 

In what might be the most explicit hostility to such freedoms yet – as well as the most unmistakable evidence of rampant panic – the NSA’s director, General Keith Alexander, actually demanded Thursday that the reporting being done by newspapers around the world on this secret surveillance system be halted. The head of the embattled National Security Agency, Gen Keith Alexander, is accusing... 

Like the curious incident of the dog that didn’t bark in the nighttime in the classic Sherlock Holmes story Silver Blaze, the most revealing thing about the latest NSA spying revelations which made world headlines last week was the non-barking of the UK. While leading politicians of other European countries and officers of the EU itself were keen to express their concern over the latest revelations... 

President Obama was aware of NSA spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel since 2010, German media have revealed. An NSA spokeswoman later denied the allegations. According to German Bild am Sonntag newspaper, which cited US intelligence sources, National Security Agency chief Keith Alexander briefed Obama on the bugging operation against Merkel in 2010. “Obama did not halt the operation but... 

Employees of French automaker Peugeot-Citroen (PSA) from Aulnay-sous-Bois, near Paris, demonstrate in protest at job cuts in front of the Paris Motor Show in Paris, September 29, 2012. The French automaker Peugeot has experienced an estimated four billion euros in lost sales after cutting ties with the Iranian automaker Iran Khodro under pressure from an American partner company, Press TV reports. Peugeot’s... 

Germany has summoned the US ambassador to Berlin over reports that the United States spied on cell phone conversations of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to personally meet with US Ambassador John B. Emerson on Thursday. Germany, France and several other countries have expressed concerns about US spying after American surveillance whistleblower... 

EU leaders say their relations with the US have been undermined by reports of NSA spying on European leaders and ordinary citizens. A partnership with America should be built on respect and trust, they said in a joint statement. The statement was released Friday amid the ongoing summit of top European politicians in Brussels. It said the reports of American surveillance in Europe have raised “deep...