North Korea said on Tuesday its military would be put on high alert and be ready to launch operations, stepping up tension after weeks of rhetoric against the United States and South Korea, whom it accuses of instigating hostility.

• October 8, 2013

China's Foreign Ministry dismissed concerns about Turkey's decision to co-produce a missile defense system with a Chinese firm, saying on Tuesday that the United States and others were needlessly politicizing a purely commercial deal.

• October 8, 2013

Russia and the United States agree on how to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

• October 8, 2013

Russia suspended imports of dairy products from neighboring Lithuania on Monday, turning up trade pressure on the European Union member weeks before it hosts a summit that could pull former Soviet republics further from Moscow's orbit.

• October 7, 2013

Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics during September 1-30th 2013
By John VanPool, EGF Turkey and Black Sea Regional Analyst

Key Points:

• Prime Minister Erdogan announces the long-awaited democratization package. While a step in the right direction, the proposal is lacking with regards to many of the challenges the Republic faces.
• The opposition CHP, MHP and BDP voice disappointment with the prime minister’s proposals, but none have pulled out of negotiations at the Constitution Conciliation Commission thus far. A positive sign, if any, exists.
• Protests continue in the country’s major cities, albeit on a more sporadic basis than those in the summer. Reasons behind each demonstration vary, yet the underlying dissatisfaction with the AKP remains a unifying factor regardless of the location.
• Syria’s civil war shows no sign of ending as infighting continues between the opposition forces.
• Turkey tries a different track, making overtures to the PKK-affiliated PYD despite its connections to the separatist group currently in the midst of a ceasefire with the Turkish government.

• October 7, 2013

The Netherlands launched legal proceedings against Russia on Friday, saying it had unlawfully detained Greenpeace activists on a Dutch-registered ship for protesting against oil drilling in the Arctic.

• October 5, 2013

Investors who behave conventionally are likely to get burned if the political standoff over the federal budget and the debt ceiling ends up forcing the United States to default.

• October 4, 2013

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton urged Egypt's army-backed government and Muslim Brotherhood on Thursday to take part in an inclusive political process - but neither side seemed prepared to heed the call

• October 4, 2013