Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has warned Turkey and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) against military intervention in Syria. The premier made the remarks during his ongoing visit to Russia on Wednesday. Al-Maliki accused Ankara of trying to draw the Western military alliance into the conflict in neighboring Syria, noting that NATO should not... 

New Zealand is to release special commemorative coins depicting characters from JRR Tolkein’s The Hobbit. They are being issued to coincide with the premiere of the Peter Jackson film of the book. The coins will be valued between $25 and $3000. New Zealand has been the setting for all of Peter Jackson’s movies of Tolkein books including the three part Lord of the Rings. The coins will go on sale... 

Rating agency Standard & Poor’s has downgraded Spain’s credit rating by two notches, warning that the deepening economic recession is limiting the government’s options. S&P warned that rising unemployment and harsh austerity measures are likely to intensify social unrest and cause further friction between Spain’s central and regional governments. “The downgrade... 

Paleontologists from the UK found out more about the lifestyle of the masters of the Early Cretaceous seas – marine crocodiles from Metriorhynchidae family. It turns out they hunted in the same way as the contemporary killer whale, by tossing a victim in the air and tearing it apart. However, some of them sucked their prey in like giant vacuum cleaners. The history of marine life of the Mesozoic... 

A Syrian Air Airbus A320 Turkish fighter jets have forced a Syria-bound civilian airplane heading to Damascus from Moscow to land in the Turkish capital Ankara. The Airbus A320 was intercepted by Turkish F-16 jets late on Wednesday as it entered the country’s airspace. The plane, reportedly carrying 35 passengers onboard, was then escorted to Ankara’s Esenboga Airport. Questioned by Turkey’s... 

Naegleria fowleri surrounded by white cells in spinal fluid Pakistan’s major city Karachi was struck by an outbreak of Naegleria fowleri, also known as ‘brain-eating amoeba.’ The deadly freshwater microbe kills 98 percent of those infected. The source of the infection has yet to be identified. The amoeba is transmitted from contaminated water through the nasal cavity and travels to the brain,... 

The initial stage of unprecedented radio telescope has been officially opened in Australia. The project will explore the universe in search of new galaxies, black holes, planets and even intelligent extraterrestrial life – if there is any. In the heart of red desert where man-made radio signals are minimal the AUS$152 million worth telescope will scan space for traces of the beginning of the universe,... 

Greek pensioners shout slogans while marching in central Athens to protest the new austerity cuts on October 8, 2012. Greek police in the capital city of Athens have clashed with pensioners protesting against the government’s new round of austerity measures. On Monday, hundreds of Greek pensioners staged a rally outside the office of the European Union (EU) in Athens where police officers used batons... 

A stunning Federal Security Services (FSB) report circulating in the Kremlin today is claiming that the 11 September attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed American Ambassador John Christopher Stevens (1960-2012) was an act of terrorism led by an armed force of mercenaries linked to the shadowy Italian eco-terror group known as Il Silvestre. According to this report, the information... 

Saudi anti-regime protesters hold a demonstration in the Qatif region of the Eastern Province. Tens of thousands of Saudi protesters have held a massive anti-regime rally in the Qatif region of Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province, Press TV reports. Chanting slogans against the Saudi authorities, the demonstrators turned out in Qatif late on Sunday to condemn the regime’s suppression of dissent. Late... 

Russia’s space agency wants to send a mission to Apophis, the notorious asteroid which may change its course and eventually collide with Earth. It will plant a radio beacon, which will help track the celestial body and assess the risks it poses. ­The 300-meter-wide asteroid first made headlines in 2004, when NASA reported that it has 1 chance in 223 of impacting on our planet in 2029. It was even... 

The oldest female resident on Earth, Antisa Khvichava, a native of Georgia (former USSR), died at age 134. The woman from the village of Sachino was born in the century before last – on July 8, 1880. The Georgian authorities asked Guinness Book editors to prepare a certificate to confirm that Antisa was the oldest woman in the world, Georgia Online reports. Spokespeople for the book said Antisa... 

A group of Moscow residents has suggested outlawing animal sacrifices in the capital as a reply to the recent ban on the film Innocence of Muslims. In a press release forwarded to all major media the group, apparently formed by the NGO called Public Coalition for Defense of Moscow, said they will soon write a draft of the bill banning all animal sacrifice and submit it to the legislative bodies of... 

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez waves his country’s flag while speaking to supporters after receiving news of his reelection, Caracas, October 7, 2012 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has comfortably won a fourth consecutive term in office after a hotly-contested presidential election in the Latin American country. The National Electoral Council announced on Sunday that President Chavez won the... 

US firms should stay away from doing business with two Chinese telecom giants due to a national security threat they pose, states a draft congressional report. It recommends barring the companies from the US market, yet fails to detail evidence. The House Intelligence Committee in its report to be released Monday urges US regulators to ban all merges and acquisitions in US by Huawei Technologies Co...