In a historic decision, India’s Supreme Court has ruled that gay sex is no longer a criminal offence. The ruling overturns a 2013 judgement that upheld a colonial-era law, known as section 377, under which gay sex is categorised as an “unnatural offence”. The court has now ruled discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation […]

Two Russian nationals have been named as suspects in the attempted murder of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. The men, using the names Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, are thought to be officers from Russia’s military intelligence service, the PM said. Scotland Yard and the CPS say there is enough evidence […]

US President Donald Trump has accused Attorney General Jeff Sessions and the justice department of damaging the re-election chances of two Republican representatives by prosecuting them. The move to file charges against the men jeopardises “easy wins” in the mid-term elections, Mr Trump tweeted. One is accused of insider trading and the other of campaign […]

US President Donald Trump, facing scrutiny for hush money payments to a porn star and a former Playboy model, pleaded with evangelical leaders for political help during closed-door remarks on Monday, warning of dire consequences to their congregations should Republicans lose in November’s midterm elections. “This November 6 election is very much a referendum on […]

Russia’s telecommunications watchdog said that it will consider reversing the ban on messaging service Telegram if the company submits to a court order requiring it to share its encryption keys with federal law enforcement. Russia-based news outlet RT reports that Roscomnadzor (RKN), which began blocking local access to Telegram after the company refused to comply […]

US authorities have found a secret drug tunnel stretching from a former KFC in the state of Arizona to Mexico. The 600ft (180m) passageway was in the basement of the old restaurant in San Luis, leading under the border to a home in San Luis Rio Colorado. Authorities made the discovery last week and have […]

Climate change resulting from human activities made the current Europe-wide heatwave more than twice as likely to occur, say scientists Researchers compared the current high temperatures with historical records from seven weather stations, in different parts of Europe. Their preliminary report found that the “signal of climate change is unambiguous,” in this summer’s heat. They […]

AMMAN, Jordan — Mike Pompeo has swapped the no-profile, cloak-and-dagger world of covert espionage for the life of a buttoned-down diplomat, representing the public face of the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Making his first overseas trip as secretary of state, the ex-CIA chief traded in a small, unmarked government jet, secret overseas voyages and hush-hush […]

“We’re coming out of Syria very soon. Let the other people take care of it now, very soon. Very soon, we’re coming out.” President Donald Trump appeared to signal the withdrawal ‘very soon” of U.S. troops from Syria on Thursday, surprising the Pentagon and State Department. “By the way, we’re knocking the hell out of […]

HANOI (Reuters) – A crackdown on corruption in Vietnam unnerved some foreign investors when it intensified last year, but they are now getting much more sanguine about it and some say the business climate is improving as a result. While the campaign by the government of Communist party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has slowed […]