Employees of “Auto Chassis International” owned by French automaker Renault, attend a rally to protest against job cuts in Le Mans, western France on January 23, 2013. Renault has officially warned unions that car factories will close unless they seal an agreement of salary cuts and thousands of layoffs in the floundering company. “If there is no deal, it is impossible to leave things... 

Catalan separatist merchandise is displayed at a stall in Las Ramblas, Barcelona, Spain. The parliament of Spain’s northeastern region of Catalonia has approved a declaration of the region’s sovereignty as a major step towards its independence from Spain. The non-binding resolution was passed on Wednesday by 85 votes in favor, 41 against, and two abstentions, the Associated Press reported. The... 

The largest in post-Soviet history exercises of the Russian Navy started in the Black and Mediterranean seas. They involve warships of the Black Sea, the Baltic and Northern Fleets as well as other types of armed forces – the Army and the Air Force, including long-range aviation. The highest status of the exercises is confirmed by the fact that, for the first time, the overall management responsibility... 

A restoration in the Italian most famous and historical monument Colosseum has yielded ancient traces of colorful frescoes as well as graffiti and drawings. The restorers cleaning the Colosseum discovered the artworks in the internal passageway, between the second and third levels of the first Century Colosseum of the building. The frescoes remains located under decades of calcified rock and grime... 

The world’s 100 richest people earned a stunning total of $240 billion in 2012 – enough money to end extreme poverty worldwide four times over, Oxfam has revealed, adding that the global economic crisis is further enriching the super-rich. “The richest 1 percent has increased its income by 60 percent in the last 20 years with the financial crisis accelerating rather than slowing the process,”... 

Smoking in public places, including bars, restaurants and clubs, will be banned in Russia from July 1, 2014. The ban on the sale of cigarettes in kiosks will come into force this spring. The State Duma Committee on Health approved 30 amendments to the anti-smoking law from the previously proposed 169. MPs did not approve the amendments expanding the list of public places where smoking should be prohibited.... 

A U.S. court ordered Russia to pay 50,000 dollars a day for using of the so-called Schneerson Library – a collection of ancient Jewish religious literature. Moscow will have to pay the money to Jewish Chassidic movement Chabad Lubavitch until it returns the Schneerson Collection. This collection of books and manuscripts used to belong to one of the leaders of the movement – late Rabbi... 

Deputy Head of Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Sergei Ryabkov Moscow has prepared a “Guantanamo List” including the names of US officials accused of violating human rights of Russian citizens in the US as well as in areas under American jurisdiction. The list which, imposes visa restrictions on the accused US officials, was confirmed on Friday. The measure came in retaliation for Washington’s... 

Belgium plans to build a horseshoe-shaped artificial island off its North Sea coast to store energy generated by its wind farms. The project will also double as attraction for sea birds (and possibly flocks of tourists). ­The ambitious undertaking was unveiled this week by Belgian North Sea Minister Johan Vande Lanotte, as he reported on the implementation of marine special planning. The island is... 

Fossilized algae recently discovered inside a Sri Lankan meteorite could finally prove the existence of extra-terrestrial life, claim the authors of the new paper. ­In a recently published article in the Journal of Cosmology titled “Fossil Diatoms in a New Carbonaceous Meteorite”, scientists from the UK and Sri Lanka claim to have found fossilized algae in a meteorite. The paper alleges that... 

Unrelenting snowfalls have caused unprecedented chaos in Russia. Over the past week, the country has seen scores of traffic accidents, flight delays and, in some cases, the complete isolation of some remote settlements and towns. On Friday, Moscow was on a verge of traffic collapse as more than 10 inches of snow fell on the city, which is more than half of January’s average. Thousands of passengers... 

Recently, the government of Iceland suspended talks on a possible accession of the country to the EU. As noted by the media, it had to do with a rather complex political situation. Many believe that in the next election the Independence Party that opposes the idea of joining the EU may come to power. The elections in Iceland are scheduled for April. Not that long ago the world media announced that... 

Germany’s central bank is set to reclaim some of its vast gold reserves held in the US and France, a German daily reported. The move follows an audit criticizing Bundesbank for mismanagement, stating the funds had never been “verified physically.” Bundesbank voiced plans to withdraw its entire 450-ton store of gold bullion from the Bank of France in Paris, and a portion of the 1,500 tons currently... 

Target: This so-called Muslim Patrol take the alcohol from this man and filmed it for a YouTube propaganda video Police are investigating reports a gang claiming to be Islamic vigilantes have been confronting members of the public and demanding they give up alcohol and women cover their flesh in their ‘Muslim area’. The hooded men, who call themselves Muslim Patrol, have been filmed walking... 

Scene of Aslan Usoyan assassination in Moscow, Russia, on January 16, 2013 One of Russia’s most notorious criminal masterminds, Mafia godfather Aslan Usoyan, also known as ‘Grandpa Hassan’, was shot dead by a sniper rifle in central Moscow on Wednesday, police said. A sniper armed with a suppressed Spetsnaz rifle fired at Usoyan from the roof of a nearby house as the 75-year-old was walking out...