Russian warships arrived at the Syrian port city of Tartus on Sunday, January 8. A senior Iranian lawmaker says the presence of Iranian and Russian naval forces in Syria’s coastal waters is a clear warning to the US to refrain from any possible military adventurism. “The United States should take Iran’s warning about [refraining from any possible] military intervention... 

French former IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn is seen upon arrival at his lawyer's office in Paris. Former International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Khan is to be question as a suspect for his participation in an alleged illegal prostitution ring in northern France. Police will question Strauss-Kahn on Tuesday for allegedly participating in a ring... 

Iranian Warship An Iranian flotilla has arrived in a Syrian port to provide maritime training to the country’s navy, media reports. It’s only the second time Iranian warships have sailed through the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean. The ships have docked in the Syrian port of Tartus some 220 kilometres from the capital. They are due to take part in a joint training... 

A disturbing Federal Security Services (FSB) report on the warning letter delivered to Chinese State Authorities this past November by Cardinal Paolo Romeo, the Archbishop of Palermo, stating that Pope Benedict XVI [photo top right] would be assassinated during this year is, indeed, a “valid threat.” According to this FSB report, the current turmoil in the Roman... 

Russia's Chief of Staff General Nikolai Makarov Moscow is making preparations to respond to a possible Israeli or US military strike against Iran in 2012, report says. According to World Tribune, the Kremlin has ordered the military to draft options for a Russian response to any foreign attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The report added that the Russian Defense... 

Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak (L) meets with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda at the latter's official residence in Tokyo on February 15, 2012. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has warned Israel against the ramifications of launching a military strike on Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program. Noda told visiting Israeli... 

Nikolai Makarov Russia’s top military boss says an attack against Iran, which the west suspects of developing nuclear weapons, could begin as early as summer. Thus far, tensions between Tehran and the west have been confined to the battlefield of heated rhetoric. Russia’s highest ranking military officer, however, predicts it may be just a matter of time before the... 

A disturbing Ministry of Trade report circulating in the Kremlin today is raising serious concerns over the United States plan to shut down significant parts of the Internet on 8 March in a move many Russian experts warn could be a prelude to massive attacks against the growing number of dissidents in that country. According to this report, The Federal Bureau of Investigation... 

Soyuz-5 rocket at vehicle assembly building of Plesetsk space center A former chief test engineer of Russia’s Plesetsk Cosmodrome, who was exposed as a CIA agent, has been sentenced to 13-year prison term. He admitted selling top secret data on Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles to the US. Ex-Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Nesterets was found guilty of treason... 

Protestors, some wearing Guy Fawkes masks, take part in a demonstration in Stockholm. Germany has delayed signing the ACTA treaty on intellectual property theft after its Justice Ministry voiced its concerns about the legislation. It is the fifth EU country to challenge approval of the debated treaty. ­The Justice Ministry said that the European Parliament should vote... 

The regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria is expecting up to 15,000 Iranian troops to help maintain order in the country’s provinces, a Chinese newspaper reports. Iran has yet to confirm or deny the news. According to the central Chinese daily Renmin Ribao, the Iranian special task troops are due to be deployed in Syria’s key provinces. The Syrian opposition announced... 

One of the spiritual leaders of Egypt issued a fatwah (law, regulations) which banned Muslims from driving Chevrolet vehicles. According to the new law, Muslims must not drive Chevrolet cars because the logo of the company is a Christian cross. The religious law, which bans the use of the cars made by one of the world’s best-known automotive company, raised many... 

Iran test firing some of its missiles. The news media in Israel this evening reports foreign embassies are organizing contingency plans for the evacuation of their nationals and diplomats and are requesting gas masks from the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Diplomats and their families are worried about a missile strike that may prompt a mass evacuation of Israeli citizens... 

UK foreign secretary William Hague speaking in Parliament on Monday The United States has shut down its embassy in Syria. The announcement comes amid mounting reports of lethal government attacks. The UK has followed the suit, summoning their ambassador from Damascus. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague says the British ambassador has been recalled from Syria for consultations.... 

Gendarme forces move toward protesters in Piata Universitatii square, Bucharest January 19, 2012. Romania’s Prime Minster Emil Boc has resigned following weeks of public protest against IMF-backed austerity measures amid the debt crisis sweeping the European Union. Announcing his resignation on Television on Monday, Boc said that he wanted to “defuse political...