Georgian riot police officers disperse opposition rally in Tbilisi late on May 25, 2011. Moscow has blasted authorities in Tbilisi for dispersing a protest rally and urged the international community to investigate the events in Georgia. The Russian Foreign Ministry described the actions of the Georgian law enforcement agencies as “a flagrant violation of human rights,” including the right of assembly... 

For the first time ever, ordinary Russians can now see documents that appear to confirm long-standing rumors that Vladimir Lenin had Jewish heritage. In a country long plagued by anti-Semitism, such heritage can be a significant taint, especially for the founder of the Soviet Union who is still revered by many elderly Russians. Among dozens of newly released documents on display at the State History... 

Doomsday scare in Russia A 14-year-old girl from the Republic of Mari El in Central Russia has committed suicide, allegedly because she was afraid of the upcoming doomsday, predicted by the American radio preacher Harold Camping. Nastya Zachinova believed the news that the world would end on May 21, her family told the tabloid LifeNews. The once lively teenager became angsty and withdrawn. On the Saturday... 

The talks about the doomsday have been ongoing for ages. It does not matter that it gets regularly postponed; it is the process of waiting for it is that matters. There is even a calendar which indicates the dates of the Apocalypse to the minute. Many of them are long gone into oblivion, some of them will take millenniums of waiting. Panic attitudes subside and then flare up with renewed force, reminding... 

General view of the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid on May 21, 2011 during a protest against Spain's economic crisis. Protesters in the Spanish capital of Madrid say they will continue their rallies after the ruling Socialist Party suffered election losses. “We plan to stay until next Sunday, but we haven’t ruled out staying even longer,” said a spokeswoman for the organizers... 

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has decided to run for the presidency next year, raising the possibility of a power struggle with his protege Dmitry Medvedev, the incumbent Kremlin leader, say highly placed sources. The once-close relationship between Mr Putin, the tough-talking former KGB officer who has inspired a personality cult, and Mr Medvedev, a softly spoken Twitter enthusiast, has become... 

Iceland has closed its main international airport and cancelled domestic flights after its most active volcano, Grimsvotn, began erupting. A plume of smoke has risen 20km (12 miles) into the sky from the volcano. But Iceland’s Meteorological Office says the eruption should not cause widespread disruption to air traffic. Last year, ash clouds from another Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokul, led... 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has this week sparked a wave of outrage across Europe by calling on Portugal, Spain and Greece to raise their retirement ages and reduce their leave. She warned that German aid to these countries could be cast into doubt should southern European countries fail to adopt the work ethic of her countrymen. “It’s not just about getting any further into debt in... 

The influx of migrants from former Soviet republics has long been out of control. It is understandable because the illegals receive “assistance” from employees of the involved agencies and ordinary citizens. The latter marry illegals without love, but with profit and no liability under the law. MPs have decided to shut down the marriage business. Each year the quota for migrant workers... 

File photo shows Israel's embassy in Moscow. Russia has expelled Israel’s military attaché to Moscow over alleged espionage charges, saying he has passed sensitive information to Tel Aviv. Air Force Colonel Vadim Leiderman was arrested during a May 12 meeting with Russian officials, the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz reported on Wednesday. He was then questioned and told to leave the country... 

Topol-M missile. In a thinly-disguised message to NATO, which remains uncommitted to the idea of co-operating with Russia in a European missile defense system, the commander of Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (RSVN) said its ICBMs will soon be “invincible”. According to the commander of Russia’s Strategic Rocket Forces (RSVN), Lt. Gen. Sergey Karakayev, Russia’s RS-24 new intercontinental... 

A recent poll by CSA reveals that Nicolas Sarkozy would have to face Marine Le Pen in the 2012 French presidential elections. For centuries, Germany and France have determined the fate of the European continent, from war to peace and prosperity. While the single market has made distant the prospect of war, the leaders of these two powers ― Europe’s two largest economies ― still hold the... 

U.S. diplomats scored a silent victory last month when the Italian oil company Eni and Russian energy giant Gazprom postponed a deal to share a large claim to Libyan oil. The State Department can’t take credit, however, as the two companies based their decision to shelve the arrangement was based on the violence in the region. But it’s all part of a bigger plan to keep access to oil out... 

The first day of the official's trip was apparently devoted to a series of meetings at the Syrian embassy in Belgrave Square. Undercover agents tracked a Syrian official carrying nuclear secrets to London where they broke into his hotel room and stole the plans as part of a daring operation on foreign soil by Mossad, the Israeli secret service, it has been claimed. The original plan was apparently... 

Vladimir Zhirinovsky A top Duma political leader caused shock waves in a recent television interview when he warned that Russia could deploy an arsenal of new technology to “destroy any part of the planet” and kill over a hundred million people using secret weather weapons if the United States, the UN or Georgia tried to stop Russia’s entry into the WTO. Vladimir Zhirinovsky is Vice-Chairman...