Russian business. Russia’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index rose to 54.4 points in May, up slightly from 54.3 in April. (A value above 50 points indicates growth.) Production output also accelerated to the second-fastest rate since January 2017. The uptick in new orders was attributed to increased advertising spending, new client acquisition and sustained demand. The […]
Russian defense. Russia and Belarus began a joint air drill on Monday, part of efforts to improve air defense systems and coordination. Relatedly, the...
Deepening cracks. The Russian government issued a decree instructing state-owned energy firm Gazprom not to pay dividends for 2023. Earlier this month, Gazprom reported...
Keeping peace. The United States is calling on Arab states to join a postwar peacekeeping force in Gaza, according to the Financial Times. Washington...
Bolstering ties. The head of U.S. Africa Command, Gen. Michael Langley, is visiting Benin to strengthen relations with the West African country. The United...
Nagorno-Karabakh update. A joint Turkish-Russian monitoring center in Nagorno-Karabakh has closed, six months after Azerbaijan recaptured the region from ethnic Armenian forces. The center...
Atomic power. Iran plans to build more nuclear power plants to increase its generation capacity and ensure its national energy security, the head of...
European defense. Poland is considering joining a project to build a European air defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome, Prime Minister Donald Tusk...
Economic retaliation. One day after an unprecedented drone and missile attack against Israel, Iran’s president called on government departments to redouble their efforts and...
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