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PM Modi and Putin discuss Russia-Ukraine conflict, bilateral ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over phone and the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to further deepening the India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership. Putin briefed Modi on his country’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, with the Prime Minister reiterating India’s consistent position for the peaceful resolution of the issue. The conversation between the two leaders came amid US President Donald Trump ratcheting up pressure on India over its purchase of Russian oil.

Xi, Putin discuss Ukraine war ahead of Russia, US summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the phone ahead of the latter's planned summit with Donald Trump to discuss the future course of the Ukraine war. During the phone call, held at the request of Putin, the Russian leader briefed Moscow's views on the current situation of the Ukrainian crisis and recent contacts and communications between Russia and the US, a statement released by the Foreign Ministry here said. Putin was under pressure from Trump to end the Ukraine war started by Russia in February 2024 to assert its territorial claims. According to reports from the US, Trump wants Putin to agree to a ceasefire to be followed by a peace deal.

Over 2 lakh Indians renounced Indian citizenship in 2024: Govt tells LS

More than two lakh Indians renounced their citizenship in 2024, the government informed the Lok Sabha on Friday. Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said this in a written response to queries on the number of individuals who have renounced their Indian citizenship and taken citizenship of other countries during the last five years. The minister was replying to queries by Congress MP KC Venugopal. “As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indians who gave up their Indian citizenship was 85,256 in 2020, 1,63,370 in 2021, 2,25,620 in 2022, 2,16,219 in 2023 and 2,06,378 in 2024, Singh said.

Task force to address student suicides seeking stakeholder views through online surveys   

The national taskforce appointed by the Supreme Court to address mental health concerns of students and prevent suicides in higher educational institutions is seeking views of various stakeholders through online survey questionnaires, officials said on Friday. The taskforce is also visiting various institutions of higher education across the country to gather views and suggestions, they said. The taskforce launched its website on Friday on which all the surveys -- for students, parents, faculty members, mental health service providers and general public are available. “The institutional visits involve interactions with various stakeholders such as students, faculty members, administrators, and members of various committees tasked with grievance redressal.