Congolese army soldiers Three Congolese helicopters have blasted positions of the March 23 movement (M23) rebels in the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). “Our helicopters have just bombarded enemy positions,” an unnamed Congolese officer said on Tuesday, adding, “Until now the enemy has not yet responded,” AFP reported. The attacks, which were the first... 

At least three people have died after an Australia-bound boat carrying asylum seekers sank off the coast of Indonesia, with up to 157 people rescued. The boat, carrying 175 people, all of them Iranians and Sri Lankans, encountered harsh sea conditions and simply broke up, Australian media reported. More than a dozen people are still unaccounted for as search and rescue operation continue. Two children,... 

NSA director General Keith B. Alexander met with lawmakers on Tuesday. The Obama administration tried on Tuesday to slow Congressional lawmakers’ opposition to the National Security Agency’s spying operations in the United States. Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have proposed amendment to a military appropriations bill that would stop the financing for NSA phone data collection program... 

Nearly every car being manufactured right now comes with a little added bonus by way of a tiny recording device nestled under the center console. And if you’re looking to keep your driving habits under wraps, you might want to start worrying. As many as 96 percent of the cars mass-produced in 2013 include event data recorders, or EDRs, yet the existence of these small “black box” surveillance... 

First India gives Monsanto a run for their ill-gotten money by refusing their patent applications, and now Italy, with the help of three Italian ministries, will try to undo Monsanto. A decree has been signed which will ban Monsanto’s MON810 maize, one of the two genetically modified crops currently legally grown in Europe and sold commercially. The decree is not yet binding as it has to be published... 

An Indian schoolgirl holds a lighted candle and placard as she takes part in a rally in Ahmedabad, after the death of a gang-rape victim from the Indian capital New Delhi A court in India will deliver the first verdict on one of the five suspects on trial for participating in the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old medical student in the capital, New Delhi. The juveniles’ court in the capital finished... 

New Zealand lawmakers say they now have enough votes to pass a controversial bill that will expand the government’s power, authorizing the interception of private communications in the name of national security. Peter Dunne, leader of New Zealand’s United Future party, changed his position on the legislation and announced his support Tuesday after the bill adopted changes. But critics say the... 

NASA image from 21 March, 2000 shows a “direct” picture of the first four years of Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory spacecraft’s Energetic Gamma-Ray Experiment Telescope(EGRET) data. A desolate site in Siberia will soon become the forefront of international research into the secrets of the Universe, after the world’s biggest gamma ray detection array scientists are creating there comes... 

Supporters of Egypt’s deposed President Mohamed Morsi walk past his portrait during a protest outside a mosque in Cairo on July 23, 2013. Saudi Arabia has transferred USD 2 billion to the Egyptian Central Bank as part of an aid package Riyadh has pledged to Cairo following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsi. The USD 2 billion of Saudi funds arrived in the form of a five-year interest-free... 

The Government of the Russian Federation approved a “roadmap” for the development of biotechnology and genetic engineering, to increase the production of GMOs. The move will be done to catch up with the rest of the world in this segment of the market. The document, posted on the website of the government, says that the global biotechnology market has been developing rapidly and is expected... 

Images obtained exclusively by Infowars show the aftermath of an alleged massacre of a Christian village in Syria during which men, women and children were slaughtered and churches desecrated by Obama-backed FSA rebels. The photos, which were provided by a source inside the village of al-Duvair in Syria’s Western province of Homs, show ruined homes, ransacked churches as well as the burned remains... 

The city of Miami has stirred controversy after a commissioner floated the idea of reneging on a landmark agreement that instructs police officers not to arrest the homeless for largely minor offenses. In 1998 Miami enacted an agreement on the heels of Pottinger v. City of Miami, which instructed law enforcement to take a soft stance on infractions such as littering, cooking a meal in public using... 

Brazilian police officers fire tear gas during a protest against the huge cost of Pope Francis’ visit in Rio de Janeiro on July 22, 2013. A homemade bomb was discovered hidden near a Brazilian shrine Pope Francis is scheduled to visit later this week, the military said Monday. The device was found in a parking garage bathroom inside the National Sanctuary of Aparecida in São Paulo state. The... 

Protestors in Detroit last month objected to plans to cut pension benefits of city workers and retirees. The federal judge overseeing Detroit’s bankruptcy case says he will hold a hearing Wednesday to take up a request by the city’s emergency manager to put on hold state lawsuits challenging the bankruptcy filing. The new development comes as the legal wrangling over the bankruptcy of the city... 

Just days after it concluded the biggest military exercise since the cold war, Russia has ordered its missile forces to conduct a snap drill in order to ascertain the readiness of putting intercontinental ballistic missiles on “high-alert” within a short time frame. “The headquarters and two missile divisions of the Orenburg Missile Army in Russia’s Urals region have been put on high-alert...