5.8-magnitude quake hits Tibet

Lhasa (IANS): A 5.8-magnitude quake hit Xigaze city in Tibet autonomous region early on Monday, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC). No casualties have been reported.

The epicentre was Xaitongmoin county as the quake struck…

168 dead in Indonesia tsunami

Jakarta (IANS): At least 168 people have been killed and 745 injured after a tsunami hit the coast on Indonesia's Sunda Strait, government officials said on Sunday.

There was no warning of the advancing wave that struck on Saturday around…

'Volcano tsunami' hits Indonesia after Krakatoa eruption, 43 reported killed

Jakarta (IANS): At least 43 people have been killed and 584 injured after a tsunami hit the coast around Indonesia's Sunda Strait, officials said.

The country's disaster management agency says two people are missing, and hundreds of…

US government partially shuts down

Washington (IANS) With funding for roughly a quarter of the US government, including appropriations for the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice expiring at midnight, a partial shutdown of the federal administration began on Saturday…

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…

China, Russia to boost military cooperation

Beijing (IANS) Chinese State Councillor and Minister of National Defence Wei Fenghe has met Deputy Defence Minister of Russia and Chief of Main Directorate for Political-Military Affairs of the Russian Armed Forces Andrey Kartapolov in Beijing.

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…