The former archbishop of Milan and papal candidate warned in his last interview that the Roman Catholic Church was left “200 years behind.” Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini, who was once regarded as a possible successor to Pope John Paul II, died on Friday at the age of 85 because of Parkinson’s disease. “The Church has been left 200 years behind. Why doesn’t it rouse itself? Are we... 

In an effort to deter possible “bad weather” the Russian capital city of Moscow cleared the skies of any clouds that may possibly have gotten in the way of their Den’ Goroda (or City Day) festivities. According to Pravda, the city carried out an airborne “attack” on bothersome clouds with 10 aircraft specially equipped to deliver CO2 (in the form of dry ice), liquid nitrogen and a powdered... 

The UK government is considering plans to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, on the British skies by 2020, new reports say. The move is part of a plan introduced by the British police to spy on the public more efficiently and more effectively in a country where its people are already the most spied upon in the world, British media reported. Drones have already been used in such... 

Nicolas Bonnal speaks about the destructive power of the Western culture. According to him, the culture of the West is aimed against humans and their ability to think and feel. This culture is connected with the training of people; it has vile goals and global plans. The USSR, among other things, was disliked in the West for reasons other than political. The USSR did not produce The Beatles, but it... 

A few days ago, Germany’s Ministry of Justice exposed the draft amendments to the legislation to legalize gay marriage in the country. In fact, sexual minorities enjoy complete freedom in the country. In 2001, their freedom became official: their relationship was called a “civil partnership”. Something like a civil marriage or live-in relationship. Nowadays, according to the proposed... 

A file picture taken on April 13, 2006 shows Azerbaijani army officer Ramil Safarov listening to the verdict, a conviction of life imprisonment for hacking to death an Armenian lieutenant while attending a NATO-sponsored training course in Budapest. Armenia has announced that it is cutting all its diplomatic relations with Hungary after Budapest released an Azeri soldier convicted of killing an Armenian... 

President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian Hajj Mission on its 10th anniversary, and said that Islam has become integral to Russia’s religious, cultural and social fabric. “Traditions of Islam are based on eternal values of kindness, mercifulness and justice. Millions of people in our country practice this ancient religion,” Putin wrote in a telegram published on the Kremlin’s website. The... 

The European currency euro logo stands in front of the European Central Bank (ECB) in Frankfurt, Germany. Business confidence has dropped in Germany to its lowest level in more than two years amid pessimism over the eurozone’s deteriorating debt crisis, data show. According to the German research institute, Ifo, the country’s Business Climate Index fell to 102.3 points in August from 103.2 points... 

Job seekers wait in line at a French job center in Paris The number of registered job applicants in France has hit the sharpest monthly rise in three years and rose to 2.99 million people in July as the country’s unemployment line continues to increase. The French labor ministry announced on Monday that the number of registered job seekers rose by 41,300 people from the previous month of June, AFP... 

Psychiatrists will be helping trainee priests in Belgium to avoid potentially dangerous situations at work. Special “anti-pedophile” training is the new measure to help prevent child abuse by priests. ­According to Belgium’s RTL online, psychiatrists will teach aspiring priests “the correct attitude in the presence of a child”. “The goal of the training? Not to repeat the errors of the... 

People from the Roma community walk outside their camp in Evry, near Paris, with their belongings after being expelled by French police on August 27, 2012. Police in France have dismantled a Roma camp near the capital, Paris, expelling 70 people, including 19 children, from their shelter. Local police moved in the encampment in the suburb of Evry early Monday in a bid to remove the people from the... 

London has become the UK’s first city to recognize Islamic holidays, a move meant to encourage the integration of a religious minority often vilified by opponents of immigration. Tower Hamlets recommends that its schools close on the Islamic feasts of Eid al-Fitr and Eid ul-Adha. The local authority states: “Tower Hamlets policy is that schools should close for Eid (these dates have been advised... 

While President Aleksandr Lukashenko promises the gradual democratization of Belarus, one of the country’s largest opposition parties has announced it will withdraw all its candidates from the parliamentary poll. “We will use the election campaign as an opportunity to tell voters that Aleksandr Lukashenkois a dead-end, while the exit from this dead-end is free elections,” the leader of the United... 

A German Rabbi has become the first person to face criminal charges after performing a circumcision. The charges come less than two months after a Cologne court ruled that the religious act causes bodily harm to newborn babies. Rabbi David Goldberg was sued by a German doctor on Tuesday, for inflicting “physical harm” by circumcising an infant. Chief prosecutor Gerhard Schmitt confirmed that the... 

The computer generated image shows how the Hiriko Fold is able to fold up to fit into tiny spaces. Researchers have designed a new car that can fold up to fit itself into small spaces, making it much easier for the driver to find a parking space. Developed by MIT’s Changing Places group and the Spanish Basque region’s development agency DENOKINN, the Hiriko Fold, is an ultra-compact electric...