 |

US military chief to pay rare China visit
Top US military officer General Martin Dempsey will pay a rare visit to China this month as the Pacific powers discuss concern over tensions with North Korea, the Pentagon said Tuesday. ... more
|  |

Gillard seeks tighter North Korea controls
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, during an official visit to Beijing this week, will urge China to pressure North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons production. ... more
|  |

Outside View: Suicide pact?
During the Cold War, the thermonuclear standoff between the United States and Soviet Union was often described as two scorpions in a bottle. The notion was that both scorpions would sting the other to death no matter which struck first. Of course, the prospect of the scorpions being of the opposite sex with options other than mutual suicide was rarely raised. ... more
|  |

'Everything on table' as US cuts defense: Hagel
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on Wednesday said the Pentagon must "put everything on the table" as it struggles to digest major spending cuts forced by last month's sequester. ... more
|