International Affairs

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday reinstated United National Party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, seven weeks after firing him in a snap move. The re-appointment signals a likely end to the political impasse that gripped the island since October 26, when Mr. Sirisena appointed his former rival …

China pressed on with its trade war truce with the United States on Friday, announcing that it will suspend extra tariffs added to U.S.-made cars and auto parts for three months from January 1. The move is another sign that the ceasefire has not been derailed by the recent arrest …

PM goes to Brussels seeking legal & political assurances to “assuage concerns” of MPs over Brexit deal British Prime Minister Theresa May headed to Brussels on Thursday to attend an EU council meeting after Conservative MPs backed her by a majority of 83 in a secret ballot on Wednesday night. …

Situation on Korean peninsula is in flux: Xi Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korea’s Foreign Minister on Friday that he hoped Pyongyang and Washington will address each other’s concerns so that peace talks on the Korean peninsula “continue to make positive progress”. Mr. Xi met with Ri Yong Ho …

Says U.K. should use risk of Ireland food shortage in talks Britain’s Indian-origin former Cabinet Minister Priti Patel has faced condemnation in the U.K., Ireland and beyond for suggesting that Britain should use the food shortages that Ireland would suffer in the event of a no-deal as leverage to improve …

Delegation accompanied by UN envoy A rebel delegation flew out of the Yemeni capital on Tuesday heading for high-stakes talks in Sweden with the government aimed at ending the country’s devastating war. The departure of the Houthi insurgents on a Kuwaiti plane followed a prisoner swap deal and the evacuation …

Parliament’s vote on British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal will go ahead on December 11, her office said on Thursday, despite a newspaper report that Ministers had sought a delay to prevent a defeat. The British Parliament is mid-way through a five-day debate on the Brexit deal, ahead of …

Russia has begun allowing some ships to enter Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov, Kiev said on Tuesday, in what could signal an easing of tensions in the flashpoint area. Ukraine has accused Moscow of blocking merchant vessels from entering and leaving the ports. In late November, the situation …

Proposes talks with Xi and Putin to halt the ‘uncontrollable’ arms race U.S. President Donald Trump boasted on Monday that U.S. relations with China have taken a “BIG leap forward” following his meeting in Argentina with President Xi Jinping. “Very good things will happen. We are dealing from great strength, …

While their manoeuvre in the legislature proved inadequate to oust Mr. Rajapaksa’s disputed government, Monday’s appeal court order delivered a legal blow to the legitimacy that the Rajapaksa camp claims. On November 13, the Supreme Court stayed Mr. Sirisena’s dissolution of Parliament and restrained the Election Commission from preparing for …