Ashish Kumar Sen

Russia’s Putin cracking down on variety of advocacy groups Governments and rights organizations are decrying raids by Russian authorities on more than 2,000 international and domestic advocacy groups, what observers say is an unprecedented campaign to silence critics of the Kremlin.

North Korean regime says rockets on ‘highest alert’ North Korea said Tuesday that it had put its rocket and long-range artillery units on “highest alert,” ready to strike South Korea and U.S. military bases in Hawaii and Guam .

Libyan ambassador to U.S. resigns  Libya ’s ambassador to the U.S., Ali Aujali , has resigned. A high-level source in Tripoli confirmed Mr. Aujali ’s resignation to The Washington Times on Monday evening, but did not give a reason for his departure.

Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Pakistani army chief to discuss Taliban Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with Pakistan ’s army chief in the Jordanian capital of Amman on Sunday night to discuss the floundering peace process with the Taliban in Afghanistan .

Kerry urges Iraq to stop Iran’s suspected military aid to Assad Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Sunday urged Iraq not to let Iran use its airspace to supply weapons and fighters to Syrian President Bashar Assad ’s regime.

Libya rights-panel chief flees country, citing death threats The chairman of Libya ’s parliamentary human-rights committee has resigned and fled to London, saying militias threatened to kill him after he criticized their unchecked power and flagrant violations of the law.

U.N. panel urges Sri Lanka to probe mass murders The U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday passed a U.S.-backed resolution that urges the Sri Lankan government to properly investigate accusations that its army was involved in the mass murder of civilians in the final days of its war against Tamil separatists in 2009.

U.N. expected to approve resolution on Sri Lanka war crimes The U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva will vote Thursday on a resolution to press the Sri Lankan government for a more thorough probe of accusations of mass murder of civilians by the army in the last days of its war against Tamil separatists in 2009.

U.S.: Less than 25 percent of aid promised by nations has reached Syrian refugees Less than 25 percent of the $1.5 billion pledged by the international community for Syrian refugees has been delivered, jeopardizing the humanitarian aid project, U.S. officials say.

Casey, Rubio back bill for nonlethal aid to Syrian rebels A bipartisan Senate bill seeks to authorize nonlethal equipment and training for vetted Syrian rebels and increase U.S. assistance to victims of Syria ’s 2-year-old civil war.

U.S. pushes Iranian dissidents to accept Albanian asylum offer The Obama administration said Monday that an Iranian dissident group must immediately accept an offer of asylum from Albania for some its members being housed at a camp in Iraq .

Obama discusses security concerns with new Chinese President Xi Jinping President Obama called on China ’s new president, Xi Jinping , on Thursday and discussed the challenges posed by North Korea ’s nuclear and missile programs, and the importance of addressing cybersecurity threats.

Syrian war is victimizing children, some as young as 8, new report says   Syrian government forces and rebels are recruiting children to fight in the civil war and, in some cases, are using them as human shields, a Britain-based charity says.

Libyan leader meets Obama, vows justice for Benghazi attack Libya ’s prime minister met Wednesday with President Obama and vowed that justice will be served in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi in which four Americans were killed.

Sudan, South Sudan agree to oil export deal South Sudan will begin pumping oil on March 24, under an agreement signed Tuesday by Sudan and South Sudan that will restart the countries’ oil export industry.

FBI: Benghazi probe slowed in lawless area of Libya U.S. and Libyan authorities investigating the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Benghazi are being hamstrung by the Libyan government ’s lack of control over the eastern part of the country.

N. Korea ends cease-fire during U.S.-S. Korea military exercises North Korea on Monday scrapped the cease-fire that ended the Korean War in 1953, as the U.S. and South Korea conducted military exercises in the region.

North Korea tests new leader of South; Park Geun-hye ‘no softie’ to belligerence The Korean Peninsula is fraught with tension as its new leaders engage in a battle of words and will — with the North on Monday voiding the cease-fire that halted the Korean War in 1953 and the South placing its troops on high alert.

Obama ‘forgot’ human rights; Russian wants U.S. off sidelines The Obama administration ’s “reset” of its relationship with Russia has largely failed, and in his second term, the president must press Moscow harder on human rights, which are under threat from President Vladimir Putin , Russian opposition leaders and Kremlin critics say.

‘I Welcome An Open Dialogue’  Last November, Cong­r­ess­man Ami Bera bec­ame only the third Indian-American in the country’s history to be elected to the US Congress. A Democrat from Cali­for­nia, Dr Bera’s family came to the US from Gujarat in the 1950s. He shared his thoughts on a U.S. visa for Narendra Modi and his hopes for future ties with Gujarat.

Wharton and all   The Modi talk is cancelled, but Indian Americans still debate a polarising figure.

U.N. hits North Korea with new sanctions The U.N. Security Council on Thursday unanimously approved new sanctions on North Korea to punish it for its Feb. 12 nuclear test, hours after Pyongyang threatened a “pre-emptive” nuclear strike against the United States.

North Korea cuts off hotline, pact with South; Kim responds to U.N. resolution North Korea on Friday scrapped all nonaggression pacts with South Korea and cut off a hotline with Seoul after the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved new sanctions on Pyongyang to punish it for its Feb. 12 nuclear test.

Rep. James McGovern condemns Russian trial of dead lawyer   A decision by Russian authorities to go ahead with the trial of a dead lawyer is yet another example of the “endless vendetta” against him, a U.S. congressman said Monday.