Both chambers of the US Congress convened for only a few minutes late on Thursday, but took no steps to end a partial federal government shutdown before adjourning until next week.

US Congress meets briefly, takes no action on shutdown

The CBI has registered two separate cases of illegal trafficking of women and children to the United States of America and Kenya, officials said Friday. They said the first case has been registered on a complaint from the US embassy which reported that an attempt was made by a woman Gagan Gupta, in August last year, to take four minor children to that country allegedly using assumed identities of four students of St Joseph's Convent in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district in Punjab.

CBI registers two cases of illegal trafficking of minors to US, Kenya

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he is prepared to wait as long as it takes to get $5 billion from taxpayers for his US-Mexico border wall, a demand that has triggered a partial shutdown of the federal government that is now in its fifth day.

On shutdown, Trump vows to wait as long as it takes for wall funding

Iraqi political and militia leaders condemned US President Donald Trump's surprise visit to US troops in Iraq on Wednesday as a violation of Iraq's sovereignty, and lawmakers said a meeting between Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was cancelled due to a disagreement over venue.

Iraqi lawmakers criticise Trump visit as blow to Iraqi sovereignty

Migrant children will receive more thorough medical checks after an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy died in US custody this week, the US government said on Wednesday, and his mother expressed grief and despair over his death.

US expands medical checks after Guatemala boy dies; mother 'in despair'

About 100 migrants from Central America are in limbo at American and Mexican border cities, awaiting their fate after applying for US asylum. In El Paso, Texas, these migrant families spent their Christmas with local charity The Home Border Institute.

Migrants in limbo at US and Mexican border cities

President Donald Trump on Wednesday confirmed his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria and said that his country cannot be the world's policeman in a surprise visit to troops deployed in Iraq.

'US can't be world's policeman': Trump defends Syria pullout in surprise visit to Iraq

A US trade team will travel to Beijing the week of January 7 to hold talks with Chinese officials, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.

US delegation to travel to China early in January for trade talks

Ankara's purchase of US missiles worth $3.5 billion will not affect a deal to acquire rival S-400 missiles from Russia, the Turkish presidential spokesman said Monday.

US missile deal does not affect S-400 purchase from Russia: Turkey

The United States has urged Bangladesh to do more to ensure a free election, blaming government foot-dragging on issuing visas for the cancellation of an international monitoring mission.

Disappointed with Bangladesh over inability to provide visas to poll monitoring team: US

Oil prices edged up on Monday after evidence that a recent fall to 15-month lows may be affecting output in the United States, the world`s largest producer, although concern about the outlook for demand tempered gains.

Oil prices inch up, but concern over demand limits gains

China plays a significant and influential role in Afghanistan's peace process as a good neighbour and world superpower, according to the former Afghan president Hamid Karzai.

Video: China plays significant role in Afghan peace process, says former president Karzai

By Gary Grappo Rational observers, US allies and even America’s adversaries are left to wonder where President Donald Trump’s erratic foreign policies and unpredictable decision-making will now lead after the departure of Defence Secretary James Mattis, the one reliable constant on whom they could depend in a presidency defined by inconsistency, disorder and disarray.

James Mattis: Who will keep Donald Trump in check now?

US President Donald Trump on Sunday defended his demand for a wall on the southern border stating that it is the only way to "stop drugs, gangs, human trafficking, criminal elements and much else from coming into" the United States.

It's the only way to stop drugs, gangs, criminals from entering US: Trump defends demand for border wall 

By Scott Lucas The last adult in the Trump White House playground has gone – and the president is throwing his toys around. James Mattis, as defence secretary, was one of three retired generals in the Trump administration whose hope was to contain an ill-informed, temperamental, and unpredictable president.

What James Mattis's resignation means for Syria, Afghanistan and NATO

US President Donald Trump's budget director and chief of staff on Sunday said the partial US government shutdown could continue to January 3, when the new Congress convenes and Democrats take over the House of Representatives.

US government shutdown may go into new year: Top Trump aide Mulvaney

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday criticised US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria, saying "an ally must be reliable".

Macron criticises US Syria pullout, says 'an ally must be reliable'

A SpaceX rocket carrying a US military navigation satellite blasted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral on Sunday, marking the space transportation company's first national security space mission for the United States.

SpaceX launches first US national security space mission

The United States on Saturday denounced at the United Nations a system of discounts for the peacekeeping assessments of wealthy nations and confirmed Washington will pay no more than 25 per cent.

US denounces wealthy-nation discounts for UN peacekeeping

US special envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, has submitted his resignation ahead of his departure planned in February, news agency AFP reported quoting CBS.

US special envoy Brett McGurk quits over Trump's decision to pull troops from Syria

After US President Donald Trump announced to withdraw around 2,000 US troops from Syria, Iran on Saturday said the US presence in Syria had been "wrong and illogical" from the start.

Presence of US forces in Syria 'wrong and illogical' move from start: Iran

Elon Musk's SpaceX scrapped Saturday's launch of a long-delayed navigation satellite for the US military due to strong upper-level winds. The next launch attempt will be on Sunday at 8:51 am, according to Space X officials.

SpaceX halts launch of US military satellite due to winds

US President Donald Trump met with Republican senators on Friday after threatening a "very long" government shutdown just hours ahead of a midnight deadline, demanding $5 billion for border wall funding and seeking to shift blame for a holiday showdown to Democrats.

Trump meets Republican senators to thrash out wall-funding dilemma

Turkey will take over the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria as the United States withdraws its troops, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday, in the latest upheaval wrought by Washington's abrupt policy shift.

Turkey says it will take over fight against IS after US pull-out

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