*News and analysis

A US Navy destroyer has sailed close to a Chinese-built island in the disputed South China and carried out maneuver operations there, amid rising diplomatic tensions between Washington and Beijing. The USS Dewey traveled within 12 nautical miles of the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, known as Nansha in China, US …

A gunfight has claimed the lives of five soldiers and five suspected militants in the disputed region of Kashmir, police say. The fighters on Wednesday attacked security troops carrying out a search operation in forests around Kupwara, 95 km (60 miles) north of the main city of Srinagar, said Shamsher …

A senior US official has accused Pakistan of doing the “bare minimum” required to squeeze the Taliban and terror groups. An unnamed official from US President Donald Trump’s administration told media outlets on Friday that Islamabad has “done the bare minimum to appear responsive to our requests.” The official cited …

The United Nations human rights office has accused Mexico of ignoring fair principles of carrying out an investigation, saying authorities in the Latin American country have committed extensive rights abuses against suspects in a case related to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner …

Mexican Interior Minister Alfonso Navarrete said Friday there are “warning signs” that drug cartels are trying to influence the country’s upcoming elections. Mexico will elect a new president, Congress, and a host of local and state officials on July 1, a vulnerable moment for a country where multi-billion-dollar drug cartels …

Saudi and US military forces have launched joint “friendship” war games in the kingdom’s northern region as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its deadly campaign against Yemen with Washington’s support. The maneuvers, dubbed Friendship Military Exercises 2018, are due to continue for several days with the announced objective of …

US President Donald Trump has agreed to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by May, says a senior South Korean official, claiming that Pyongyang is ready to get rid of its nuclear weapons under certain conditions. Chung Eui-yong, South Korea’s national security advisor, broke the news in Washington on Thursday, …

At least nine people have been killed and 18 others injured in a bomb attack near a Shia mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The casualties were caused after an attacker, who had been stopped at a nearby security checkpoint, set off an explosive device he was carrying, said Nasrat Rahimi, …

Pakistani authorities have endorsed a proposal from India on exchange of prisoners that could also cover detainees from the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistani Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Mohammad Faisal said on Wednesday that exchange of prisoners between the two neighboring countries would cover all those held by either side that fall within the …

India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has notched a historic win in provincial elections in the northern state of Tripura, boosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s chances of securing a second term in next year’s national election. Results announced for most of the 59-seat regional chamber showed that the BJP had …