After central government forces loyal to Baghdad swept through the Kurdish led territory at the start of the week, an urge was sent to officials of BP by Iraqi officials to help the besieged country ravaged by a war and by years of ethnic violence develop oilfields in the disputed city of...

India is looking to defended its sphere of influence, as China invests millions in the region, even though India has long been the dominant power in South Asia.   Reacting to related questions, a panel of experts at the World Economic Forum's India summit said that India must play...

Fears that the isolated state of North Korea had conducted another nuclear bomb test weeks after its last one was raised after China’s earthquake administration said on Saturday that it had detected a magnitude 3.4 earthquake in North Korea that was a “suspected explosion”.   They were...

Despite recent relief from an intense dry spell, North Koreans are likely to face serious food shortages, said officials from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization.   Cereal production in the communist dictatorship had plunged to record lows in 2001 due to low rainfall and this...

The status of his Jabber secure online messaging account was set to “away” when Alexander Vinnik was arrested on money-laundering charges at a Greek hotel in late July.   “He often takes some time to reply, so at first I didn’t think anything of it,” said one person who knew the Russian as...

It is unlikely that any major harm for American investors could be caused by any Russian response to fresh sanction from the U.S.  and therefore, such response is being merely seen as a symbolic gesture, says one political analyst. After the U.S. House of Representatives voted...

In an alleged hack of Qatar's state news agency in late May that helped spark a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates was involved, Qatar said citing a U.S. media report.   The UAE said that four Arab powers were discussing imposing new sanctions on Qatar and said that the...

While he was on the campaign trail, President Donald Trump had vowed to end the Iran Nuclear Deal. But even though he has refrained from condemning Russia, although both countries support Syria's Bashar al-Assad, he has continued to criticize Iran as president.   President Donald...

In the past decade, cash has been attracting a rising number of attacks, from various governments as well as from private businesses, or even journalists. All are throwing many arguments against hard currency, slowly tainting its image for what could be the preparation phase to the outright banning of notes and coins. While some inch patiently and try to ease it out of economies, some have promoted far more radical and rash moves. Are cashless economies truly a potential development or are they just wishful thinking?

In a move that is believed could result in raising of tensions with Washington, which has accused Beijing of militarizing the vital waterway, a U.S. think tank has very recently reported that China has built new military facilities on islands in the South China Sea.   Missile shelters and...

Qatar says that the list, presented by four Arab states imposing a boycott on it, was not reasonable or actionable, even though the small but wealthy Gulf country said that it is reviewing the list of demands.   "We are reviewing these demands out of respect for ... regional...