Japan has launched naval drills with the US in spite of heightened tensions with China over a territorial dispute. The exercise was initially planned to simulate an island re-occupation, but was scrapped for naval operations to avoid agitating China. The 11-day drills are aimed at boosting the defense of Japan’s southwestern island territories and will involve more than 37,000 Japanese personnel... 

Jacob Zuma, the South African president, has issued a ringing endorsement of traditional courts, saying that problems should be resolved “the African way, not the white man’s way”. Mr Zuma, a proud Zulu who himself subscribes to traditional practices such as polygamy, said that those living in rural communities in South Africa found the traditional justice system a better way of resolving their... 

US Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney (L) and President Barack Obama US presidential election rivals Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are set to enter the final day of the election battle as the opinion polls show the challengers are still neck-and-neck on the eve of the vote. According to an opinion poll by the Wall Street Journal and the NBC News, 48 percent of voters would likely support... 

Iran’s Navy successfully test-fired its first home-built medium-range anti-radar missile, Mehrab, on January 1, 2012. The British government is desperately struggling to make an impact in the Middle East and let the public know by making hollow gestures to pretend an attack on Iran, where Britain will be a major player, is imminent. British media reported on Friday that Prime Minister David Cameron... 

Washington has reportedly decided to ease restrictions on the sale of medicine to Iran in fear that it may lose global support for anti-Iran sanctions, the Los Angeles Times reported. Though US rules have not imposed any bans on American firms to sell medicine and medical supplies to Iran, exporters have been required to apply for special licenses. Besides, as the aftermath of the sanctions, the impossibility... 

A Russian Ilyushin IL-38 maritime patrol aircraft Russia may deploy two reconnaissance aircraft to a French base in the Horn of Africa state of Djibouti where the US is reportedly leading its secret drone war in the region. Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Wednesday the deployment, aimed at conducting anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden, will only be carried out with the consent... 

China is boosting its efforts aimed at returning the jurisdiction over the disputed Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku). In late October, the Chinese ships began regular patrols of the waters, despite the protests of Tokyo. Some analysts argue that the parties have exhausted all diplomatic means. Beijing is clearly hinting at the possibility of using force. On Tuesday, the leading news agencies once again reported... 

A highly disturbing Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) report circulating in the Kremlin today claims that a top US Secret Service Agent (USSS) assigned to President Obama’s protective detail was “suicided” over fears he was about to release highly damaging information regarding the White Houses’ release of classified information to Hollywood producers, whose movie about the raid that killed... 

An election official goes through the steps to check voting machines for accuracy. Voters in Ohio and Kansas have said that some voting machines used in early voting are changing Romney votes for Obama, two separate reports said Wednesday. According to the Marion Star, early voter Joan Stevens tried to cast her ballot for Mitt Romney, but the machine kept defaulting to Barack Obama. “Upon selecting... 

“Jill Stein has been released from jail,” says Tar Sands Blockade say in their Twitter Jill Stein, a presidential candidate from the Green Party, has been arrested in Texas while attempting to resupply protesters camping out in trees to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, according to anti-pipeline activists. The Tar Sands Blockade activists said she was released soon after being taken to the Wood... 

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika (R) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton brief the press following a meeting at the Mouradia Palace, Algiers, October 29, 2012. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has met with Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to pressure his country to lend support to a potential military intervention in northern Mali. Clinton paid a one-day visit to the... 

An Iranian patrol ship In line with the Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategy of expanding its naval presence in international waters, Iran Navy’s 22nd fleet of warships has called at a Sudanese northeastern port in the Red Sea. The fleet which comprises Kharg helicopter carrier and Admiral Naqdi destroyer arrived at the Sudanese port on Monday. The Navy’s 22nd fleet was dispatched to the coasts... 

File photo shows veiled women holding signs during a protest by Muslim men and women in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (Molenbeek-Saint-Jean), in Brussels. Two candidates from Islam Party have won their way to the local councils in two major districts of the Belgian capital Brussels. The local elections were held in Anderlecht and Molenbeek on Sunday. The party reportedly plans to field candidates for the regional... 

There is a high level of public support for abandoning the monarchy in some of the nations of the Commonwealth. Along with Britain’s anti-monarchy campaign group Republic that campaigns for a democratic country consisting of an elected head of state, there seems to be a high level of public support for abandoning the monarchy in some of the nations of the Commonwealth. In 16 of the total of 54 Commonwealth... 

Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter (L) and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, met in Moscow on October 25, 2012. Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter says his country does not support any unilateral sanctions imposed against Iran over its nuclear energy program. Burkhalter told reporters after a Thursday meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in...