International Relations

In the whirlwind seven weeks of political impasse, Colombo witnessed a string of incessant protests by concerned citizens, including women’s groups, members of the LGBTQ community, artistes and professionals.A little different from each other, the agitations — at the Liberty roundabout, Lipton Circus or Independence Square in the heart of …

The Chinese establishment has been hit by three major interlocking incidents since the beginning of December. On December 1, a much awaited meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Argentina, ended in applause. A truce in a bruising …

the fiscal deficit is In a particularly trying moment of an interview on BBC’s Hard Talk last week, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Asad Umar seemed to lose his temper when asked about the U.S.’s statements on curbing the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s loans, given Pakistan’s debt to China.“We will worry about …

On December 6, Germany’s conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) held its party meeting to elect a leader to replace Angela Merkel when she steps down. Many observers had anticipated that Friedrich Merz, a politician and lobbyist who works with BlackRock, an American investment cooperation, would become Ms. Merkel’s successor.Mr. Merz …

Western nations jeopardised their own values during the ongoing crisis in the Gulf region, Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Saturday. He was speaking at the 18th edition of the Doha Forum, a dialogue platform attended by leading global players.To a question whether Western nations had …

After disputably holding on to the post of Prime Minister for weeks, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday said he had “resigned”, and vowed to clinch power in the next election. Backing down after the Supreme Court declined relief to an appeal court order restraining him from acting as PM, …

negotiator says delegates from nearly 200 nations have reached a ‘landing zone’ of agreement, but differences remain on issues of ambition Nations on Saturday inched towards a deal to implement the Paris climate goals, after all-night negotiations over a plan to limit global temperature rises exposed a range of conflicts.Speaking …

China on Friday rebuked the U.S. Congress over legislation seeking greater access to Tibet, saying American lawmakers “grossly interfered” in Beijing’s domestic affairs. The bill, which passed this week with bipartisan support, demands access to the region for U.S. diplomats, journalists and tourists, threatening to bar Chinese officials responsible for …

The Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly, by 56-41, to end the U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. A second resolution, which passed in the Senate unanimously, held Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) personally responsible for journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The resolutions are the strongest rebuke to …

British lawmakers will vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal in January, according to a schedule published on Thursday by the leader of the lower house, Andrea Leadsom. The next week has been filled by other draft legislation, with Parliament then breaking until January 7. Ms. May has promised …