AP, Moscow
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday voiced hope that a conference on Afghanistan taking place in Moscow could help pave the way for peace talks.
“The Moscow format of talks is aimed at establishing an inclusive inter-Afghan dialogue in the interests of advancing the process of national reconciliation,” Lavrov said as he opened the meeting that has brought together representatives of the Afghan authorities and the Taliban.
He emphasized the threat posed by the Islamic State group in Afghanistan, saying that it has relied on foreign sponsors in a bid to “turn Afghanistan into a springboard for its expansion in Central Asia.”
US accuses China of violating bilateral anti-hacking deal
Reuters, Washington
China has been violating an agreement with the United States aimed at stopping cyber espionage through the hacking of government and corporate data, a senior U.S. intelligence official said on Thursday.
When asked if China was violating the 2015 agreement between then President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, National Security Agency official Rob Joyce said: “We think they are.”
Vietnam and Cuba pledge to deepen ties
AP, Hanoi
The leaders of Vietnam and Cuba on Friday pledged to deepen relations between two of the world’s few remaining communist countries.
President Nguyen Phu Trong and his Cuban counterpart Miguel Diaz-Canel witnessed the signing of trade and finance agreements after an hourlong talk behind closed doors in Hanoi.
US to deny asylum to immigrants crossing border illegally
AP, Washington
The United States will no longer allow people who enter the country illegally to claim asylum, officials said Thursday, unveiling a controversial new crackdown on immigration.
The restriction on asylum claims will seek to address what a senior administration official called the “historically unparalleled abuse of our immigration system” along the border with Mexico.
China displays new modern weapons at its air show
PTI, Beijing
China has displayed a host of its latest tactical weapons, including a new intelligence radar, anti-ship missile as well as an unmanned missile boat, at an air show this week in Zhuhai city as it flexed muscles in the disputed South China Sea leading to tension with other nations located on its rim.
The exported versions of the 609-intelligence radar and CM 401 anti-ship missile, which are serving in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in border and coast defence, are on display for the first time at the air show, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Thursday.
