International Relations

The Russian government said on Wednesday it has allowed an American citizen held on espionage charges to have access to U.S. officials seeking answers about his arrest. U.S. consular officials were granted access to Michigan resident Paul Whelan for the first time since his arrest during a visit to the …

China is building the first of four “most advanced” naval warships for Pakistan as part of a major bilateral arms deal to ensure among other things “balance of power” in the strategic Indian Ocean, the state media reported. Equipped with modern detection and weapon systems, it will be capable of …

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has not received orders to pull forces out of the war-torn country, NATO confirmed on Monday, days after it was revealed that President Donald Trump plans to withdraw 7,000 troops. General Scott Miller’s remarks on Sunday capped a tumultuous few days for Afghanistan as …

An anti-corruption court in Pakistan on Monday sentenced ousted premier Nawaz Sharif to seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills graft case but acquitted him in the Flagship Investments case. The verdict concludes a series of three court cases against the Sharif family in the high-profile Panama Papers …

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was reinstated as Prime Minister on Sunday, pointed to the constitutional provision prohibiting the dissolution of Parliament prior to the completion of four and half years of its term. ‘In national interest’ Defending his earlier actions sacking Parliament and calling for snap polls — which the Supreme …

India on Sunday welcomed the end of political uncertainty in Sri Lanka with the return of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister. A statement by the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the latest developments indicated the resilience of Sri Lankan democracy. “This is a reflection of the …

Nations on Sunday struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming. Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver on …

A federal judge in Texas has ruled that the U.S. health-care law known as Obamacare is unconstitutional — a ruling that Opposition Democrats quickly vowed to appeal.aU.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s ruling came on the eve of the Saturday deadline to sign up for 2019 coverage in the federal health-care …

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 …