Moscow: President Vladimir Putin in June offered U.S. counterpart Joe Biden the use of Russian military bases in Central Asia for information gathering from Afghanistan, the Kommersant newspaper reported, as American troops leave the country. Taliban fighters have made major advances as U.S. forces pull out

New York: Women's rights advocates and religious leaders are calling for the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Afghanistan to protect hard-won gains for women over the past two decades against the Taliban's obstacles, as the United States and NATO forces complete their

Washington: US President Joe Biden will host Jordan's King Abdullah, a key US ally in a volatile region, in what will be the first of three face-to-face meetings with leaders from the Middle East expected soon. Abdullah, who faced down a challenge to his authority in

Geneva: The UN will select Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg to be the next envoy to Yemen, diplomats have said, marking the fourth attempt by the international body to help end the devastating conflict and deepening humanitarian crisis. While the UN has not publicly announced the appointment,

London: The British government on Monday lifted pandemic restrictions on daily life in England, scrapping all social distancing rules in a step slammed by scientists and opposition parties as a dangerous leap into the unknown. From midnight (2300 GMT Sunday), night clubs reopened and other indoor

Moscow: The Russian military reported another successful test launch of a new Zircon hypersonic cruise missile on Monday. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the missile was launched from an Admiral Groshkov frigate located in the White Sea, in the north of Russia. The ministry said the missile successfully

Dubai: Iran insisted that a prisoner swap deal has been agreed with the United States, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said, a day after Washington denied such an agreement had been reached. “Outrageous = the US denying simple fact that there IS an agreed deal on

Ankara: Turkey slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a “clear violation of religious freedoms”, adding the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe. The Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice (CJEU) ruled on

Islamabad: The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday slammed Indian minister’s statement, admitting that it played role in keeping Pakistan on the grey list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF). “Indian statement not only exposes its true colors but also vindicates Pakistan’s longstanding stance on India’s negative