US 'to pull 7,000 troops' from Afghanistan: Media

Washington (IANS): The Donald Trump administration is planning to withdraw thousands of troops from Afghanistan, the US media reported.

Reports, citing unnamed officials, said about 7,000 troops -- roughly half the remaining US military presence…

US begins withdrawing troops from Syria, claims victory over IS

Washington (IANS): The Donald Trump-led US administration announced that it has started returning US troops home from Syria after claiming a victory in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) without revealing any detailed timetable.

"We…

Oil prices tumble amid oversupply fears

New York (IANS): Oil prices dived, as mounting anxieties over supply surplus cast a pall over investors across the board.

Oil prices plunged more than 7 percent to the lowest level since August 2017, as global supply continued piling up amid…

India, Maldives to deepen Indian Ocean security cooperation, increase trade

New Delhi (IANS): India and the Maldives on Monday agreed to deepen cooperation to maintain peace and security in the Indian Ocean region as New Delhi extended lines of credit worth $1.4 billion to the archipelago nation following delegation-level…

Wickremesinghe sworn in as Sri Lankan PM, political impasse ends

Colombo (IANS): Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, sacked from the post in October, was sworn in again on Sunday by President Maithripala Sirisena, a move that ended a nearly two-month political impasse that erupted after his surprising…

US judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional

Washington (IANS) A US federal judge has ruled the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare as unconstitutional due to a recent change in federal tax law.

The ruling on Friday night by US District Judge Reed O'Connor of Texas…

Sri Lanka's disputed PM Rajapaksa resigns amid crisis

Colombo (IANS) Sri Lanka's disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Saturday, seven weeks after he was appointed in a surprise move that sparked a political crisis in the island nation.

The former strongman…

Strasbourg shooter killed after 48-hour manhunt: Minister

Paris (IANS): The shooter, who killed three people at a Christmas market in France's Strasbourg on Tuesday, has been killed, 48 hours after the attack, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has confirmed.

Cherif Chekatt was killed…

Korean soldiers cross DMZ first time since division

Seoul (IANS) North and South Korean soldiers have made several friendly crossings along the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) into each other's territory for the first time since the countries were divided, Seoul's Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Death toll rises to 4 in France's Strasbourg shooting

Paris (IANS): The death toll of the shooting near a Christmas market in the French city of Strasbourg on Tuesday evening has risen to four, several were wounded, media reported.

Security officers have cordoned off the area, while the injured…