An environmental committee at Massachusetts Statehouse has approved a bill, imposing a 10-year ban on fracking for natural gas. The move comes as a wave of earthquakes in Texas has raised new concerns over the controversial drilling technique. The Massachusetts fracking moratorium bill is designed to protect the state’s drinking water from possible contamination and thus “ensure that the health... 

Health officials in Greece have voiced alarm over a dramatic rise in HIV infection amid steep healthcare cuts in the austerity-stricken country. Official data released by the Greek Health Ministry showed on Friday that 1,058 new HIV infection cases were reported in the first 10 months of this year. Greek officials have warned against dangers from austerity cuts in the country’s healthcare system. Meni... 

The multitudes of Americans who brave the freezing cold and the rampaging mobs in the belief it’s all worth it to get a great ‘deal’ on electronic goods they don’t really need and can’t afford are victims of a gigantic scam. Black Friday is a hoax. While believing that they are paying far less for high-end consumer products, shoppers who throw themselves on the altar of Black Friday madness... 

An Egyptian committee tasked with drafting a new constitution has approved an article that forbids the formation of religious parties. Forty-eight members of the 50-member panel present on Saturday voted on the 247 articles of the new charter and approved more than half of the articles, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported. Voting on the remaining articles will resume on Sunday afternoon.... 

A police helicopter crashed into the roof of a crowded pub in Glasgow on Friday night. There are reports of multiple injuries and fatalities are feared. ‘Major incident’ has been declared at the site. Jim Murphy, the shadow international development secretary, told BBC that a “pile of people” were clambering out of the Clutha Bar on the banks of the River Clyde. About 40 fire brigades... 

Iran’s National Foundation for Computer Games (NFCG) is planning to take part in the exhibition of the 2013 edition of Game Connection Europe. Iran is slated to unveil 15 newly produced computer game at this year’s European exhibition that will be held in Paris, NFCG announced. A number of Iranian and international computer game designers and producers will attend the event. The show also hosts... 

LG Optimus 3D Max P720 is one of the few 3D stereoscopic smartphones out on the market and even though it was launched more than an year ago, back in May 2012, it’s still the best 3D stereoscopic phone up to date so we’ve decided to give it a review. Even though Optimus 3D Max is not LG’s first phone 3D phone and it’s actually an upgrade to 2011’s LG Optimus 3D P920,... 

Chinese fighter jets were scrambled and followed US and Japanese planes that had entered the newly-proclaimed Chinese air defense zone in the disputed area of the East China Sea, Xinhua reports. Two US surveillance aircraft and 10 Japanese F-15 jets were ‘tailed’ by Chinese pilots on Friday. China ordered an urgent dispatch of its Su-30 and J-10 fighter jets to an area in the East China Sea after... 

Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has survived a no-confidence vote in parliament by a wide margin following a heated debate on the government’s rice subsidy program and flood management budget. Shinawatra comfortably survived the three-day debate in the lower house of parliament on Thursday, with 297 lawmakers voting in her favor and 134 against, amid ongoing protests against her... 

The Nizhny Novgorod region has a huge tourist potential. Today, the main task of the city and the region is to form its own recognizable tourist brand and substantially expand its presence in the domestic and in international tourist medium, which is one of the most important conditions for success in any business. The city of Nizhny Novgorod is known to many Russians as one of the cruise cities on... 

Members of aboriginal communities in Australia have held a demonstration to protest government-proposed “councils” that would supervise their heritage sites. The protesters from rural areas assembled on Thursday in front of the Parliament House in Sydney to call on the government to abandon plans to establish the councils. They said the planned reforms are aimed at silencing their voice and limiting... 

German Ambassador Peter Witting The UN human rights committee unanimously passed a ‘right to privacy’ resolution sponsored by Germany and Brazil that protects the right to privacy against illegal surveillance, following revelations about NSA spying. The resolution states that surveillance and data interception by governments and companies “may violate or abuse human rights.” This... 

Key American allies in East Asia, Japan and South Korea, have followed US lead by sending military aircraft to fly through disputed airspace, which China unilaterally included last week in its air defense zone. Tokyo and Seoul sent its aircraft into the disputed areas following a similar flight on Monday by two unarmed American B-52 bombers. Neither country informed the Chinese of their plans beforehand,... 

The rising unemployment rate in Germany has forced an increasing number of people to permanently move to campgrounds in an attempt to save money. According to a report published by Spiegel Online International on Wednesday, thousands of people have transformed campsites from holiday spots to residential communities. They say they cannot afford living in urban areas. “Over the last 10 years, more... 

The former Soviet Union is suffering from Europhilia, a centuries-old disease of the intellectuals that moved to the level of the masses in the 20th century, Sergei Mikheyev, the Director of the Caspian Cooperation Institute said in a live feed of Pravda.Ru. This idea is fed by the Western propaganda machine that the weak state of Ukraine cannot resist. “Living in Europe is my dream,”...