Putin to attend Libya peace conference
Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in a peace conference on Libya in Germany on Sunday, as world powers step up efforts to find a lasting ceasefire. Ahead of the peace conference Libya’s military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who Moscow is accused of supporting in Libya’s conflict, thanked Putin for his peace efforts, the Kremlin said.
Russia’s FM slams ‘aggressive’ US policies
Moscow: Russia’s foreign policy chief on Friday blamed what he described as “aggressive” US policies for growing global tensions, noting Washington’s reluctance to extend a key nuclear arms pact. Sergey Lavrov, who serves as acting foreign minister in the wake of Wednesday’s resignation of the Russian Cabinet, said this week’s meeting of top U.S. and Russian diplomats on strategic stability didn’t achieve any immediate results, adding that “dialogue is continuing.” Russia-US relations have been at post-Cold War lows since Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea.
US warship sails through Taiwan Strait
Taipei: A US warship has sailed through the Taiwan Strait, mainland and Taipei officials said Friday, the first such passage since the island resoundingly re-elected its independence-leaning president. The warship was on a “routine mission” on Thursday, Taiwan’s defence ministry said, as it traversed the stretch of water that divides the self-ruling island from the authoritarian Chinese mainland.
‘More than 9L people speak in Hindi in US’
Washington’ More than nine lakh people speak Hindi in the US, a top Indian diplomat has said, as the Indian Embassy here conducts free Hindi classes for Americans and foreign nationals. Happy to note that Hindi is spoken and taught widely in the US, Amit Kumar, Charge d’ Affairs, Indian Embassy here, said in his remarks during the ‘Vishwa Hindi Divas’ celebrations at the Indian Embassy. He also said Hindi is taught in many schools in the US.
China birth rate hits lowest level since 1949
Beijing: China’s birth rate dropped last year to its lowest level since the Communist country was founded in 1949, adding to concerns that an ageing society and shrinking workforce will pile pressure on a slowing economy.