MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. Participation in the INF Treaty cannot be suspended, as the US intends to do, this agreement can be only openly violated through the development or relevant armaments, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the Kommersant daily on Tuesday.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: Japan will get its first aircraft carriers since World War II and buy dozens of fighter jets under a new defence plan approved Tuesday that is intended to counter China's growing military power.

The new five-year defence plan calls for the upgrade of two existing helicopter carriers so that they can launch fighters, and is the latest in a series of steps under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to boost Japan's military.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. An anti-radiation food ration has been developed for cosmonauts of the future Russian lunar expedition, Head of the ISS [International Space Station) Crew Nutrition Department at the Institute of Medical and Biological Studies Alexander Agureyev told TASS on Friday.

"The cosmonauts’ food ration for the lunar program has already been developed. These are foodstuffs with the enhanced biological activity and radio-protective properties," the researcher said.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: The British government on Tuesday said it was allocating two billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to fund Brexit and putting 3,500 troops on stand-by after ministers agreed to make no-deal planning "an operational priority".

The news came amid continued opposition to Prime Minister Theresa's May draft divorce deal, just 14 weeks before the country leaves the EU.

MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Three Russian engines RD-181 have been handed over to the Orbital Sciences Corporation, the research and industrial association NPO Energromash said on its website on Friday.

"On December 12, three RD-181 engines were handed over to the US customer," the Orbital Sciences Corporation said in the news release.

This is a second consignment of engines delivered to the US company this year. Two RD-181 engines were handed over in June.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: Losses from natural and man-made disasters are estimated to total $155 billion (136 billion euros) this year, down sharply from a hurricane-plagued 2017, the reinsurance giant Swiss Re said Tuesday.

The trio of hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma last year pushed losses to $350 billion, but Swiss Re noted that a "number of smaller and mid-sized events, alongside some major man-made disasters" in 2018 were still cause for serious concern.

18 Dec 2018; DW: The Russian foreign minister claimed that Ukraine was planning an "armed provocation" in the coming weeks. Moscow-Kyiv relations have continued to deteriorate after Russia seized three Ukrainian ships at sea.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday said it would "return" more than 10 warplanes to Crimea, according to Russian news agency Interfax.

New Delhi, Dec 18 (PTI) The CBI has booked two Army officers for allegedly taking bribes of over Rs 82 lakh from a civilian supplier in the procurement of rations for troops posted in Nagaland, officials said Tuesday.

The action has been taken on a complaint from Brigadier Rajiv Gautam posted at the headquarters of the Army's 3 Corps.

18 Dec 2018; AFP: President Donald Trump on Tuesday urged the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, to not make "another mistake" by raising interest rates.

"I hope the people over at the Fed will read today's Wall Street Journal Editorial before they make yet another mistake," he tweeted. "Also, don't let the market become any more illiquid than it already is. Stop with the 50 B's. Feel the market, don't just go by meaningless numbers. Good luck!"

Mumbai, Dec 18 (PTI) The BJP's warring ally Shiv Sena Tuesday chose to stay away from the inauguration of various projects by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai metropolitan region and Pune.

The prime minister Tuesday laid foundation stones for two metro lines - Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (Metro 5) and the Dahisar-Mira Bhayander (Metro 9) at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane district. He also launched the Navi Mumbai town planning authority Cidco's (City & Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) mass-housing scheme worth Rs 18,000 crore.

Nashik (Maha), Dec 18 (PTI) A court in Igatpuri in Nashik district of Maharashtra Tuesday granted bail to MNS chief Raj Thackeray in connection with a 2008 case of attack on a hotel by his party workers.

Thackeray appeared in Igatpuri court on Tuesday, where Judge K I Khan granted him bail.

As part of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's strident protest against north Indians in 2008, the party workers had attacked a hotel, owned by a north Indian, in Igatpuri.

Police had booked six persons, including Thackeray, in this connection.

Guwahati, Dec 18 (PTI) Assam government has approved farm loan waiver to the tune of Rs 600 crore which will benefit around eight lakh farmers of the state, its spokesman said Tuesday.

As per the scheme, the government will write off 25 per cent loan of farmers up to a maximum of Rs 25,000 of all farm debts, Assam Government spokesperson and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said.

The waiver will be for all the loans taken through Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and from PSU banks, he said.