POLITICS & POLICY

China Execs Urge To Abolish One-Child Policy

Several Chinese government officials have acknowledged the country's 30-year-old one-child policy needs to be revised. If not abolished, some remained wary any new amendments would pose more hazards than good for the world's second largest economy.

Iran, IAEA Agree To Strengthen Ties On Nuke Program

Even as talks in Geneva failed to arrive at an agreement on restraining Iran's nuclear program, the country has signed a joint statement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) agreeing to strengthen cooperation and dialogue to ensure the peaceful nature of the country's nuclear program.
More news

South Korea Demands North Korea to Identify Man Arrested on Spying Charges

South Korea on Monday rejected North Korea's claim that it had arrested a South Korean citizen on spying charges and demanded that Pyongyang reveal the arrested man's identity. North Korea had on Thursday said that it has arrested a South Korean spy for using "dishonest elements" for a mission seeking to destabilize the country's social system. Media reports had said that the arrested man was a missionary.

Israel Makes Diplomatic Push to Stall ‘Bad’ Iran Nuclear Deal

Israel is making an all out effort among world powers to ensure, a deal on the nuclear issue that it considers bad, is not reached with Iran. Reports say Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken to leaders from the U.S., Russian, French, German and British leaders in a attempt to convince them that the deal under discussion in Geneva is a bad deal. Israeli officials are also seeking to lobby with the U.S. Congress in a attempt to block efforts to ease sanctions against Iran.

Geneva Talks Fail to Convince Iran to Suspend Enrichment

After growing hopes that a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme seemed plausible, the talks in Geneva have ended without an agreement on convincing Iran to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme in exchange for temporary relief from sanctions. Earlier, on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had cut-short his Middle East trip to attend the Geneva Conference. With Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reaching Geneva on Saturday, speculation grew that a deal with Iran might be imminent.

Indonesia Rejected Australia’s Request on Boat People, Twice

The Indonesian government denied Australia’s requests to send asylum seeking boat people back to Indonesia on two occasions since the launch of Operation Sovereign Borders, according to Australian government reports. Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday that his government had made four requests to Indonesia to accept asylum seekers whom the coastal patrol had found in Indonesia's search and rescue region.

New Pakistani Taliban Leader Mullah Fazlullah Rejects Peace Talks

Just days after the Pakistan Prime Minister said, his government was in the process of holding talks with the Pakistani Taliban, the militant group has rejected the idea. This announcement by the Pakistani Taliban comes after its leader Hakimullah Mehsud was killed in a U.S. drone strike on Nov 1. It paved the way for the election of hardline commander Mullah Fazlullah as the new leader of the group on Thursday.

Command and Control of U.S. Drone Operations Remains with CIA, Says Report

Since March 2013, news has been going around that the Obama administration was planning to shift its lethal targeted killing drone programme from the CIA to a more transparent Department of Defence (DoD). But as it turns out now, the shift of operational control has been stalled, at least for the time-being. Reports say it is not expected to happen any time soon. The reasons: operational efficiency and flexibility to carry out covert deployment.

Congo: Battered and Defeated, M23 Announces End of Rebellion

M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which at one point occupied a regional capital of Goma, have announced an end to its almost 2 years of insurgent struggle stating that they are ready to search for a political solution to the root causes which led to its creation. The end of the rebellion, however, came just hours after the government forces claimed total victory after driving the rebels from their last two strongholds.

U.S. Agencies Ordered Medical Staff to Sidestep Ethics in Terror-related Interrogation, says Task Force Report

The U.S. military and intelligence agencies directed doctors and psychologists working in U.S. military detention centres violated their ethical agreements when dealing with terror detainees. These charges have been made in a taskforce report released by the Institute on Medicine as a Profession. The independent taskforce included a panel of military, ethics, medical, public health, and legal experts.

Brazil Spied on U.S. Russia, Iran and Iraq, says Report

Brazil’s government on Monday admitted that its top intelligence agency spied on diplomatic targets from countries including the U.S., Iran and Russia. Brazil’s Institutional Security Cabinet, however, clarified that the spying operation conducted a decade ago, were relatively basic and “in absolute compliance” with the country’s legislation.

Japan Launches Largest 70MW Solar Power Plant

Japan has launched its largest 70 megawatt (MW) capable solar power plant, two years after radiation problems have gone overboard at the Fukushima power plant which was crippled by a tsunami in March 2011, following a magnitude 9 earthquake.

Just How Do Kids React Really to Gay Marriage? Video Shows You Their Reactions

They might just be kids but there is no mistaking that these young children provide the most honest and truthful reactions and opinions to just about any subject matter presented to them under the sun. In the latest installment from the Kids React series, American filmmakers Benny and Rafi Fine delved on gay equality and same-sex marriage. The reactions they got from the kids were, basically, overwhelmingly positive.

New Zealand Passes Telecoms Interception Bill for Spying on Email, Texts, Calls

The New Zealand Parliament has passed a new law, requiring telecommunication companies to allow intelligence agencies to access their subscriber's emails, calls and texts. Under the Telecommunications Interceptions and Security Capability Bill, companies will need to consult with the spy agency doing the eavesdropping.

Pages