ISLAMABAD: China hosted the foreign ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, in a bid to improve the neighbors’ historically fractious relationship. Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani of Afghanistan and Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif led delegations from their respective countries. According to a joint ...

The U.S. government says it has negotiated a significant cut in the United Nations budget. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.’s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million. The mission said reductions would also be made to the U.N.’s management and ...

Myanmar state counsellor refused to engage in substantive talks about alleged violence against the Muslim minority, says envoy   Aung San Suu Kyi avoided discussing reports of Rohingya women and girls being raped by Myanmar troops and police when she met a senior UN official, according to an internal memo ...

‘The winds of war are blowing in our world’, the Pope said   Pope Francis has taken another swipe at President Donald Trump, appearing to rebuke the US leader’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In his traditional Christmas message, the Pope called for a two-state solution ...

Cybersecurity professionals call for better education after data thefts and the Wannacry attack on NHS IT systems   Cybersecurity professionals are calling for better education and improved apprentice schemes after saying a shortfall of staff in the sector is leaving companies exposed to hacker attacks. According to a recent survey ...

    North Korea on Sunday called the latest round of punishing United Nations sanctions an “act of war,” and reminded the United States that the North’s rapid development of missiles and atomic bombs meant it posed a “substantial nuclear threat to the U.S. mainland.” In a statement released by ...

Speaking from Brussels, separatist leader says result is victory of the ‘Catalan republic’ over the Spanish state   Catalonia’s independence movement claimed victory in the region’s election with parties seeking secession set to gain an overall majority in parliament; a dramatic and unexpected result that will have huge impact not just on ...

US hard-power diplomacy over Israel will end up being an expensive clash if Washington cuts its funding to the UN   “Strong, sovereign nations let diverse countries with different values, different cultures and different dreams not just coexist but work side by side on the basis of mutual respect,” Donald ...

  Angry countries at the United Nations on Thursday defied White House threats to cut off foreign aid, as they voted overwhelmingly against President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. At an emergency special session of the U.N. General Assembly, 128 U.N. members voted in favor of ...

The UN’s investigator into human rights in Myanmar has been barred from entering the country.   Yanghee Lee had been due to visit in January to review Myanmar’s human rights, including alleged attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. The government said it had banned her because she was “not ...