Japan PM vows to proceed with commercial whale hunting

Japan's prime minister told Parliament on Monday he would boost his efforts toward restarting commercial whaling, despite a top UN court's order that Tokyo must stop killing whales in the Antarctic.

Kim Dotcom offers $5m 'bounty' in online piracy case against him

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom said on Monday he was offering a $5 million "bounty" to whistleblowers for information to help fight an online piracy case brought by the United States.

Pope says Israel, Palestine must strive toward peace

Presidents Abbas, Peres meet at prayer meeting in 'neutral' area

Netanyahu absent from meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the key Israeli decision-maker, did not attend Sunday's prayer meeting at the Vatican and he refuses to deal with the Palestinian unity government, backed by Hamas Islamists, that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas swore in last Monday.

Iran, US set to deliberate on nuclear issue

Representatives from Iran and the United States were poised to meet in Geneva on Monday for their first full-scale official talks in decades aimed at bridging the gaps in negotiations for a deal on Teheran's disputed nuclear program.

Russia warns against military buildup by NATO

Russia would consider any further expansion of NATO forces near its borders a "demonstration of hostile intentions" and would take political and military measures to ensure its own security, a senior diplomat was quoted as saying on Monday.

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Militants launch wave of onslaughts across Iraq

Baghdad bombings kill over 60 as security forces battle insurgents

'Black economy' could give boost to struggling EU

Europe's governments are turning their attention to prostitution, drugs and contraband as possible ways of boosting their economic growth profiles, as they struggle to put their debt crises behind them.

Japan fails to report 640 kg of unused plutonium to IAEA

The Japanese government has not declared about 640 kg of unused plutonium in its annual report for the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2012 and 2013, an amount large enough to make 80 nuclear bombs, local media reported on Saturday.

Rousseff slams 'campaign' against World Cup in Brazil

President Dilma Rousseff has denounced what she called a "systematic campaign" against the World Cup and her center-left government, as a strike by subway workers continues in Brazil's biggest city.

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