Red Cross officials say at least 1,200 people have been killed by Typhoon Haiyan in two worst-hit areas of Philippines after the massive storm swept through the Southeast Asian country on Friday. Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, said on Saturday the numbers came from preliminary reports by Red Cross teams on the ground. Sources say the death toll is expected to rise sharply... 

One of the most powerful-ever tropical cyclones based on wind speed has hit the Filipino island of Samar, forcing millions to flee the area. At least three people have been killed and seven injured, with the death toll expected to rise, authorities said. “The super typhoon likely made landfall with winds near 195 mph (313 kph). This makes Haiyan the strongest tropical cyclone on record to make... 

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... 

Japan Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera says reports of the US spying on Tokyo, if proved to be true, could hurt the ties between the two countries. Onodera made the remarks two days after The New York Times reported that US National Security Agency (NSA) has spied on Japan, adding that the NSA had used its surveillance powers to achieve economic advantage on Japan, Brazil and a number of other nations. On... 

The Kyoto Protocol has become that document in the international politics that world leaders prefer not to think about. The issue is particularly painful for the U.S., China and India. Will there be an extension of the protocol, or are the interested players wasting their time? This question was raised in “Point of View” project by Doctor of Technical Sciences Igor Ostretsov. Igor, it... 

Army Col. Eric Tilley The Army has relieved the commander of its largest base in Japan after an investigation into alleged misconduct, according to a US Army Japan press statement sent late Friday. The investigation had been ongoing since June 7, when Col. Eric Tilley was suspended from his job as commander of US Army Garrison Japan. Maj. Gen. James C. Boozer, Sr., commander of US Army Japan and I... 

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... 

On Monday, an alleged terrorist attack took place at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. A passenger vehicle crashed into the crowd and then burst into flames. Five people were killed, 38 injured and hospitalized. Some police sources associate the incident with the Uighurs, a Muslim separatist-minded population of China. Has jihad come to China? On Tuesday, Reuters agency, citing informed sources, reported... 

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... 

Samsung Galaxy S5 has been announced earlier than every other Galaxy S predecessor. Samsung is planning to release the Galaxy S5 in January 2014 with new features such as a 16MP camera (only a tiny 3MP upgrade from S4’s 13MP) 3GB or 4GB of RAM memory compared to S4’s 2GB RAM and the Samsung’s first true octa core CPU on a smartphone. There are rumors that the future Galaxy line will... 

North Korea, not exactly known as a vacation destination, has opened a water park to improve its seriously dismal image. The Munsu Water Park, located east of the capital of Pyongyang, recently hosted an ostentatious opening. See photos here. Of course, the average citizen will not be able to afford the fun of a water slide. “The standard of living has deteriorated to extreme levels of deprivation... 

A unique space cannon developed for Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft has successfully test-fired on Earth in preparation for a 2014 mission. During its upcoming journey into space, the cannon will blast an asteroid and mine samples of its soil. The test took place in the Japanese prefecture of Gifu, paving the way for the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft to extract soil samples from the asteroid, the Japan Aerospace... 

In the very days when a deep split in the US Congress threatened a US government debt default, the gold price should normally jump through the roof, yet the opposite was the case. It is worth a closer look why. Since August 1971, when US President Richard Nixon unilaterally tore up the Bretton Woods Treaty of 1944 and told the world that the Federal Reserve ‘gold window’ was permanently closed,... 

Typhoon Wipha shot through Tokyo and up Japan’s Pacific coastline early Wednesday, killing at least 17 people. Thousands were advised to evacuate, although no major damage was reported. The storm, with sustained winds of 126 kph (78 mph) at its center, was marked by hurricane-level winds and rain that soaked the city’s morning rush hour, leading to disrupted flights, train services, and school... 

Philippine officials say at least 93 people have been confirmed dead and dozens more injured by a devastating earthquake that struck the central parts of the Southeast Asian country. The 7.2-magnitude quake was centered about 385 miles (619 kilometers) south-southeast of Manila, near Catigbian, and its depth was 12 miles (20 kilometers), according to the US Geological Survey. According to the Philippines...