US Secretary of State Colin Powell struts his stuff to the sound of the Village People’s YMCA.

A Japanese court today upheld an order banning a popular weekly magazine in a high-profile dispute over the right to privacy of a politician’s family.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s hold on power looked increasingly precarious today as his public support went into freefall after the sacking of his foreign minister and an emboldened opposition submitted a no-confidence motion.

A domestic turf battle between Japan's outspoken foreign minister and her bureaucratic underlings has spilled out on the world stage, with ripples felt in Europe, the US and Australia.