NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Kim Jong-il, North Korea's Dear Leader, died on Saturday.

Asian equities and U.S. stock index futures fell, with South Korean shares tumbling as much as 5 percent, while the dollar gained on safe-haven appeal after news of the death of North Korea leader Kim Jong-il raised fears of regional instability.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear programme.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack on Saturday, according to a report from the state media, raising concerns over who will now control of the most reclusive state in the world, especially its nuclear weapons.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died of a heart attack while on a train trip, state media reported Monday morning, sparking immediate concern over who is in control of the reclusive state and its nuclear program.

Rick Santorum is struggling to convince Republicans that he is a viable all-around candidate and not just a stalwart social conservative. Here are his positions on a wide range of topics, from social issues to the economy to foreign policy.

Iranian authorities said on Saturday they had arrested an Iranian caught spying for the United States, the Islamic Republic's latest claim of success in a spying war with Washington.

Russian customs officials stopped a man carrying radioactive materials from boarding a plane to Iran.

South Korea has imposed fresh sanctions involving limiting of financial transactions on Iran to force it to scrap its suspected nuclear weapons programme.

Cain then fell from the polls and bowed out of the race. But he's told Barbara Walters in an interview that aired Wednesday night as one of the 10 Most Fascinating People of the year that if given the opportunity for a cabinet position, he would choose this one -- Secretary of Defense.

Though he continues to lag in national polls, Rick Perry is launching a massive comeback effort in Iowa, which will hold the nation's first caucuses on Jan. 3. Here is an overview of his positions.

Is the Iran drone real and what does is say about the relationship between the United States and Iran.

Of course, when a leader is pressed by domestic trouble, his thoughts turn immediately, as they do for all leaders, to distracting the population with a foreign enemy. And today, that would be us.

Economic growth across the world will slow in 2012 due to the problematic combination of private-sector deleveraging, public-sector austerity and the lack of confidence in political leaders' ability to navigate these situations according to IHS, a leading macro-economic consultancy.

For most of her campaign, Michele Bachmann has made more headlines for her gaffes than for her platform, and her popularity has fallen as a result. But moving past the YouTube clips and headlines, what are the Minnesota congresswoman's political positions?

The Obama administration does not know Israel's intentions regarding potential military action against Iran, and the uncertainty is stoking concern in Washington, where the preferred course for now is sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

A Saudi prince said on Sunday that developing atomic weapons may be the kingdom's only recourse against a nuclear Iran and Israel.

Australia's ruling Labor Party Sunday endorsed plans to open up uranium sales to India, clearing the way for talks on a bilateral nuclear agreement and resolving an issue that has caused diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Paris officials went to great pains to explain that this was only a temporary security measure.

A group of students at Georgetown University started this as a homework project, but after analyzing China's huge network of tunnels for storing missiles for as long as three years under their professor, a former top Pentagon official, they made the conclusion that China's nuclear arsenal may be many times larger than previously estimated.

The fallout from Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program continues, with the European Union imposing new economic sanctions against 180 Iranian officials and companies.