Poland’s chief Rabbi has linked the Polish parliament’s decision to uphold a ban on ritual slaughter to Nazi propaganda, but there has been no anti-semitic rhetoric associated with this long-running debate. In a statement responding to a vote on Friday that blocked a government-sponsored attempt to overturn the ban on ritual slaughter, Rabbi Michael Schudrich said: “The completely untrue... 

Italians receive a free meal at a soup kitchen in Rome. The number of Italians living in absolute and relative poverty soared in 2012 with families in southern Italy hit the hardest, Italy’s national statistics office says in a report. The Wednesday report, citing a study conducted by ISTAT, revealed that about 4.8 million people, or 8 percent of the population, are grappling with absolute poverty,... 

Greek workers march in protest during a day of general strike in Athens on July 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of Greek public sector workers have staged a new day of protest ahead of a parliamentary vote that would facilitate the layoff of thousands of workers. The Wednesday protest gathered municipal workers and mayors in Athens just before lawmakers sit to vote a bill that will put 4,200 civil servants... 

New study conducted by an international team of researchers has unveiled the mystery of a genetic flaw which significantly increases the risk of obesity. A type of gene called FTO, which is known as fat-boosting gene, has put many lives at higher risks of obesity that is estimated to be one in six people. The recent study revealed that FTO made fatty foods more tempting and affected on hunger hormone... 

A report has found that a third of low-to middle-income British families are unable to afford paying private rents for homes since the rise in rent costs. The think-tank Resolution Foundation said the British government’s plans to kick-start the housing market would do little to help low income families who are being forced to rent privately. This comes as in the recent years; competition for renting... 

A Swedish sociology professor has nominated Edward Snowden for the Nobel Peace Prize. He says the NSA whistleblower could help “save the prize from the disrepute incurred by the hasty and ill-conceived decision” to give the 2009 award to Barack Obama. In his letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Stefan Svallfors praised Snowden for his “heroic effort at great personal cost.” He... 

Sir Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Another member of the British parliament has nearly been sacked for comments his party describes as ‘a denigration’ of the Holocaust, local media reported. Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament Sir Bob Russell questioned Zionist regime’s treatment of Palestinians in an address to the House of Commons on Monday. “On the assumption that... 

Communists of Moldova announced the possibility of a “velvet revolution” in the country. This fall Moldova is to sign an association agreement with the European Union and further distance itself from Russia. In this situation, a “peaceful” revolution seems quite real. Could that be that someone wants to destabilize the situation through raising the Transdniestrian issue once... 

Native Britons are less likely to have higher levels of education and employment than immigrants, new figures have revealed. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 21 percent of foreign nationals were employed in banking, finance and insurance, compared with 17 percent of British nationals. Moreover, nearly 40 percent of foreign nationals gained qualifications at degree standard or... 

US National Security Agency (NSA) fugitive leaker Edward Snowden (C) during a meeting with rights activists, with among them Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks (L), at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, on July 12, 2013 NSA leaker & former CIA employee Edward Snowden has asked for political asylum in Russia, saying he could not fly to Latin America, according to human rights activists who met the whistleblower... 

A branch of Russia’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a group of Muslims for the right of schoolgirls to wear traditional religious attire, specifically the hijab, in classrooms. The appeal was made by a group of citizens of Muslim faith from southern Russia’s Stavropol Region. They complained that a decree by the local administration ordering all schoolchildren to appear in classes only... 

Syrian refugees, driven out of their country by the war, are trying to cross the Turkish-Greek border to seek asylum in the European Union. It is obvious that Greece cannot accept all those in need, therefore, the Greek authorities take a tough stance with respect to illegal immigrants. However, people still flee, drowning in the Aegean Sea and in the Maritsa River at the border with Turkey. A Syrian... 

Protesters attend a demonstration in Athens, Greece, July 8, 2013. Tens of thousands of Greek municipal workers have staged a strike to protest against the massive public sector layoffs enacted by the government in order to secure promised loans. Greek civil servants including policemen and schoolteachers took to the streets outside the Administrative Reform Ministry in Athens on Monday, as the government... 

Britain has blocked talks between the US and the European Union on the US spying on the EU saying the bloc has no authority to discuss Americans’ methods to safeguard their national security. The EU and the US were to form two working groups on intelligence and espionage and on data privacy and the US National Security Agency’s Prism program and sit down for talks in Washington on Monday for talks. However,... 

RADARSAT image of Lake Vostok, Antarctica. Scientists have discovered more than 3,500 unique gene sequences in Lake Vostok – the underground Antarctic water reservoir isolated from the outside world for 15 million years – revealing a complex ecosystem far beyond anything they could have expected. “The bounds on what is habitable and what is not are changing,” said Scott Rogers, Bowling...