Tests of a new missile for the advanced version of the Russian air defense system Tor-M2 proved it is capable of shooting down challenging targets with amazing precision, hitting moving missiles head-on, Russian arms manufacturer Almaz-Antey revealed. In an attempt to push the limits of modern missile defense systems, Russian military design bureaus Almaz-Antey and Vympel NPO (now part of Tactical... 

A Chinese Coast Guard ship is cruising near the disputed islets known as the Senkaku islands in Japan in the East China Sea on August 8, 2013. Four Chinese coastguard vessels have sailed into waters around a chain of disputed islands in the East China Sea, Japanese Coast Guard says. According to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, the four vessels entered the waters... 

A global conflict between the US, Russia, and China is likely in the coming months should the world powers fail to reach a nuclear deal with Iran, an American analyst says. “If the talks fail, if the agreements being pursued are not successfully carried forward and implemented, then there would be enormous international pressure to drive towards a conflict with Iran before [US President Barack]... 

Brazil has called an unscheduled meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over reports of the US National Security Agency (NSA) spying on the financial institution. ON Wednesday, Brazil’s IMF representative, Paulo Nogueira Batista, called on the IMF executive board to convene to ask for explanations on the reported NSA espionage. The official declined to divulge what was said at the meeting,... 

The CEO of one of the world’s foremost computer security firms says the Stuxnet worm that targeted Iranian nuclear facilities may have also infiltrated similar critical systems in Russia. If accurate, allegations that Stuxnet snuck its way into Russia could implicate the United States and Israel in an even broader act of cyberwar than previously reported. Since Stuxnet was discovered in 2010, the... 

An Australian soldier patrolling an area in Afghanistan. The Australian ambassador to Afghanistan says his government has offered to keep hundreds of troops in war-ravaged Afghanistan even after the 2014 deadline for the pullout of foreign forces. Jon Philp told reporters in Kabul on Wednesday that Canberra had made an offer to the Afghan government to keep between 100-400 troops in Afghanistan into... 

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief Prince Bandar bin Sultan is joining Israel to set the stage for a military strike against Iran over the country’s nuclear program, an analyst says. Not reaching a nuclear deal during the recent Geneva talks reflects “the determination on the part of the Israelis and the Saudis, not only to prevent such an agreement, but it takes even military action against... 

Nigerian soldiers ride on an armored vehicle in Maiduguri, the capital city of the northeastern Borno State. The Nigerian Senate has approved a request by the country’s president to extend emergency rule in the restive northeast for another six months. Lawmakers in Nigeria’s upper house of parliament unanimously voted on Thursday “to extend the state of emergency in Adamawa, Borno and... 

North Korea displayed what it said was the new KN-08 missile during a military parade in April 2012. The commander of the US Pacific Command says the United States is prepared to counter North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile that can hit his country. “Whether they [ballistic missiles] are real or not, or whether they have the capability or not, North Korean regime wants us to think... 

The Catholic Church has lashed out at the Israeli government, after its property in East Jerusalem was bulldozed to the ground. Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinian flats were marked for demolition just before US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit. Last week Israeli security forces arrived with bulldozers at a piece of property owned by the Catholic Church in east Jerusalem, close to the West... 

A sobering report prepared by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) circulating in the Kremlin today states that the 4 NATO F-16 fighter jets scrambled from Turkey hours ago to harass the Il-20 reconnaissance warplanes flying along Russia’s Black Sea coast on one their routine daily missions was in direct retaliation over President Putin’s abrupt canceling of his cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty... 

Malaysia has summoned the heads of US and Australian diplomatic missions in the country to protest at an alleged US-led spying network. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said his country had summoned the US and Australian envoys to “hand over a protest note in response to the alleged spying activities carried out by the two embassies in Kuala Lumpur.” The Malaysian foreign minister... 

Adamant Federal Reserve opponent Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) says he will put a hold on Janet Yellen’s nomination to head the central bank, insisting that a bill of his that would audit the Fed be considered by Congress first. United States President Barack Obama said earlier this month that he had chosen Yellen, the 67-year-old vice chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,... 

China has demanded explanation from the US after a report revealed that Australian embassies, including the one in Beijing, have been used in Washington’s spying operations. “China is extremely concerned about this report and demands that the United States offers a clarification and explanation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, told reporters on Thursday. “We... 

Israeli warplanes struck a Syrian air defense base near the port city of Latakia on Thursday, US official have confirmed to media. An Obama administration official told AP that the attack happened overnight on Thursday, but provided no details. Another security official told the news agency that it took place in the Syrian port city of Latakia, and that the targets were Russian-made SA-125 missiles. Another...