• The US ended Hong Kong emergency declaration but retained key sanctions under separate legal authority. • China welcomed the decision, calling it progress in improving bilateral economic and trade […]

TEHRAN, July 18 — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Saturday that two oil tankers exploded after hitting mines in the Strait of Hormuz, as the United States and Tehran continued to

  ISLAMABAD, July 18 — As Pakistan stepped into the global centre-stage through Iran war mediation, it hired a US lobbying firm to push Washington for boosted security cooperation and

ANARE, July 17 — Venezuela is struggling to get back on its feet after last month’s devastating earthquakes, but one sleepy town managed to escape the tragedy untouched. The twin tremors

  Mexico City, July 17 — Mexico’s vibrant capital city has been relatively untouched by decades of drug violence, but a video of self-styled cartel gunmen claiming to operate in a

HONG KONG, July 17 — A devastating fire that ripped through a Hong Kong apartment complex last year and killed 168 people was “preventable”, lawyers told a committee investigating the blaze

  BEIJING, July 17 — China warned today it could take “countermeasures” after Washington finalised rules shortening how long journalists can stay in the United States, with Chinese nationals facing

  MANILA, July 17 — Manila lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijingtoday over a “racist” video posted by Chinese state media portraying the Philippines as a cartoon monkey. The China

  SHANGHAI, July 17 — Artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single country, China’s President Xi Jinping said today, urging international cooperation on its development at a major conference

BANGKOK, July 17 — The majority of people killed in Bangkok’s devastating bar fire died from smoke inhalation, forensic police told AFP today after completing autopsies of all 33 victims.