Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) may quickly be making a name for himself within the Republican Party, but the libertarian-leaning lawmaker warns that the GOP isn’t quite so grand anymore. Speaking to CNN this week, the junior senator said the United States needs a “new type of Republican” that will be able to keep up with the pace of the rest of the nation. “I think my party, the Republican Party,... 

Spain’s Catalan nationalist party Convergencia I Union (CiU) led by Artur Mas won the elections in the Catalan Parliament on Sunday, but failed to win an absolute majority that it expects to govern alone. CiU secured 50 seats of the 135-seat local parliament in the elections, a setback from its previous 62 seats, which appeared to be a failure of its pro-independence campaign. Another nationalist... 

Facebook’s new privacy policy violates EU law, raising concerns over the sharing of private data with affiliated business without user consent. US privacy experts expressed concern over how Facebook shares this data with advertisers. European Data Protection Commissioner Gary Davis has asked for Facebook to clarify its new changes to users’ privacy policy. As commissioner, Davis is responsible... 

From Stalin to Steve Jobs, from Brezhnev to Berlusconi, from Hitler to Marilyn Manson: some of the world’s most recognized figures have been reinvented in a new exhibition by a young Russian artist who prefers comedy to politics. ­Kazakhstan-born Victoria Tsarkova studied icon painting, and says the heroes of her portraits could be described as “iconic” just as well. ­The 29-year-old artist... 

Heart surgeons have performed the first-ever implantation of the artificial heart valve, which was developed in Russia. The valve was produced in the Moscow-based Bakulev’s Center of Cardiac Surgery in cooperation with a company from Penza. The valve differs from all of its predecessors for better blood passability. For the time being, the Russian, full-flow valve is considered the best in the... 

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s plan to revolutionize the NHS by cutting appointments with doctors and promoting virtual clinics using iPads and Skype has faced criticism, with warnings that it could put lives at risk. The proposed reforms aim to save £2.9 billion by adopting a “digital-first” approach, utilizing technology for remote consultations and reducing the number of personal... 

India renamed Russian-origin Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier (shown) to “INS Vikramaditya.” Indian Defense Minister AK Antony says Russia will deliver a renovated Soviet-era aircraft carrier in the last quarter of 2013. The Indian minister told the lower house of the parliament on Monday that the end of 2013 was set as the date for the handover of the Russian-origin aircraft carrier, which is... 

Whatever the actual risks for EU-national mothers in Irish hospitals, if their babies are fed infant formula, it will contain amounts of fluoride that are neither safe nor medically legal in other EU member states. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s (‘FSAI’) guide of 19th Nov 2012 (1) recommends Irish tap water be used to make up baby bottles even though this is totally at odds with safety... 

In a secret project recently discovered, the United States planned to blow up the moon with a nuclear bomb in the 1950s as a display of the country’s strength during the Cold War space race. The secret project, called “A Study of Lunar Research Flights”, as well as “Project A119” was never carried out but initially intended to intimidate the Soviet Union after their launch of the first artificial... 

During a recent speech in Poland, former US National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski warned fellow elitists that a worldwide “resistance” movement to “external control” driven by “populist activism” is threatening to derail the move towards a new world order. Calling the notion that the 21st century is the American century a “shared delusion,” Brzezinski stated that American... 

The skyscraper 838 meters tall is to be built in China. It will be not only the highest skyscraper in the world, but also a massive construction built in a record time. The project is being implemented by BROAD Sustainable Building (BSB), which is known for its buildings in the sky. BSB has recently built a 30-storey hotel in 15 days. This time, the company has decided to build a skyscraper in just... 

J-15 jet about to land. China has successfully landed a warplane on its first aircraft carrier. The new J-15 jet fighter touched down on the Liaoning as part of the ship’s operational tests. The Liaoning, a refurbished Soviet-made ship, was delivered to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy on September 25 in a move that will bolster China’s ability to project military power. A video of... 

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi Egyptian judges have begun a nationwide strike to protest against President Mohamed Morsi’s new decree, which gives him sweeping powers and places him beyond judicial oversight. During an emergency meeting on Saturday night, the Judges’ Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, denounced Morsi’s presidential decree and announced the immediate “suspension... 

An unexpected source of new, clean energy has been found: the Plant-Microbial Fuel Cell that can generate electricity from the natural interaction between living plant roots and soil bacteria. The technique already works on a small scale and will soon be applied in larger marshland areas throughout the world. On 23 November, researcher Marjolein Helder will defend her PhD research on generating electricity... 

US President Barack Obama A new report has revealed that US President Barack Obama’s administration accelerated a plan to institutionalize drone strikes before the recent presidential election, as the likelihood of Obama’s reelection was fading. When the possibility of a victory for Mitt Romney increased before the election, the Obama administration embarked on an immediate course of action last...