International

Washington: Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during a meeting with a senior Chinese diplomat Friday, as the Biden administration seeks to mitigate tensions over Taiwan while the island holds its presidential election. Blinken sat...

Washington: Former US President Donald Trump has cancelled three out of four rallies scheduled for this weeked due to icy weather caused by a major winter storm that has led to heavy snowfall across large parts of the country. Trump has cancelled two rallies that...

Taipei:  Some 19.5 eligible voters in Taiwan will cast their ballots Saturday to elect a new President and Parliament amid growing warnings from China that Taipei's future was at "crossroads". Voters queued up outside polling stations across the country and voting will end at 4...

Gaza: The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 23,708, the Gaza-based Health Ministry has said. The ministry in a press statement Friday said that the Israeli army killed 151 Palestinians and wounded 248 others during the past...

Colombo: The visiting Japanese Finance Minister Suzuki Shunichi Friday expressed hope that the ongoing debt restructuring in cash-strapped Sri Lanka could be finalised soon for Japan to resume its stalled projects in the island nation. Shunichi, who is on a two-day visit, met President Ranil...

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Friday travelled to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on a surprise visit after unveiling GBP 2.5 billion for 2024-25 in military aid to the country locked in conflict with Russia, an increase of GBP 200 million on the previous...

New York: A US judge has denied a request for defence materials by Indian national Nikhil Gupta, charged by federal prosecutors in a murder-for-hire plot to kill a Khalistani separatist on American soil. United States District Judge Victor Marrero, in an order Thursday, denied a...

Kathmandu: Nepal said Friday that efforts were being made to resolve the border issue with India through “dialogue and diplomatic initiatives” and a joint boundary group is working on the matter. Nepal shares a border of over 1,850 km with five Indian states – Sikkim,...

Hague: Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel insisted at the United Nations' highest court Friday that its war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and said instead that Hamas was guilty of genocide. Israel described the allegations levelled by South Africa...

London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Friday that the country's joint air strikes with the US against Houthi military targets in Yemen overnight was a “necessary and proportionate action in self-defence.” The US-led strikes are the first against the Houthi militia since it started...