Why is Japan so off-the-wall in insisting on waving the bloody shirt in front of the world public by slaughtering whales and dolphins in the most inhumane manner possible and then defending the bloodshed with bogus claims? Japan's outrageous actions in supporting the carnage are truly breath-taking. 

China’s global image faces challenges - but if asked to choose between its national interests and preserving its national image, China would choose the former. A recent poll conducted by the BBC World Service shows that China’s international image is not that great around the world. Although this year China’s international image is equally divided (42 percent vs. 42 percent) between those who think China’s influence is positive and those who think it is negative, China’s image in Japan and South Korea (two of China’s most important Asian neighbors) is quite negative.

The Sudanese woman sentenced to death for apostasy after having married a Christian is to be freed in the next few days, it was reported on Saturday night. Meriam Ibrahim, who gave birth to a daughter on Tuesday while shackled in heavy chains, has been in jail since January. The announcement came on the back of international outrage that turned into a global campaign to save the mother of two – her 20-month-old son has also been forced to stay in prison with her. David Cameron had joined political leaders in condemning the Sudanese government's actions.

The prime minister and other political leaders have added their voices to the campaign to lift the death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim, a Sudanese woman sentenced to hang for apostasy. David Cameron's announcement came after Ibrahim's husband, Daniel Wani, appealed for global support to free his wife from death row, where she is being held with her two young children after giving birth in shackles this week.

In my opinion, Russia is relatively on a par with its major geopolitical rivals, as far as "hard power" is concerned: we have the military, resources and economic power. As for "soft power", unfortunately, I believe this parity has been significantly impaired. Sadly, Russia’s reputation and image in the world is much worse than the real situation in the country.

Mr Gianfranco Fattorini, a representative of PEC quoted the Chief of the Chinese Communist Party in Tibet who affirmed that "Mobile phones, Internet and other measures for the management of new media need to be fully implemented to maintain the public's interests and national security."

The debate over the role of the international community in Syria is disheartening, dominated by skepticism about the ability of outsiders to have a positive impact. This stems from the fact that two main options – continuing to refrain from direct intervention or waging a fully fledged military campaign...

About a month ago, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited several Latin American countries in a move that numerous analysts and journalists argued was a desperate attempt to find allies, as Iran is becoming increasingly isolated amid pressures...