(Bloomberg) — The Kremlin has canceled plans for a new offensive in Ukraine this spring after failing to gain much ground and will focus on blunting a fresh push by Kyiv forces that is expected to begin soon. Digging into a long fight, the Kremlin is seeking to recruit up to 400,000 contract troops this…
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited frontline positions near the besieged town of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region, at the center of fierce battles with the Russian military in recent months. Zelenskiy has previously condemned what he called “deadly” Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight using Iranian drones, as well as further missile and…
(Bloomberg) — China and Russia are deepening cooperation on a key atomic technology that worries Pentagon planners because of its potential to upset the global balance of nuclear weapons. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have announced a long-term agreement to continue developing so-called fast neutron reactors. The announcement is part…
The bailout comes as the island nation grapples with its worst economic crisis in 70 years. Sri Lanka has received the first tranche of its bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), President Ranil Wickremesinghe has told parliament. “It sets the stage for Sri Lanka to have better fiscal discipline and better governance,” Wickremesinghe…
(Bloomberg) — Vladimir Putin embraced Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal to end the war in Ukraine as a potential blueprint for peace as leaders pledged ever-closer ties. The Chinese proposal, which Kiev has coldly welcomed and other Western allies have rejected, largely aligns with Russia’s intentions and “could be used as the basis for a…
A small piece of fabric scares big governments again. The latest example is in India, where in early March the Supreme Court announced it would set up a bench of three judges to hear a case challenging a hijab ban in educational institutions in the state of Karnataka. In October 2022, the Supreme Court had…
The vote was called after former coalition allies of Pushpa Kamal Dahal pulled out of government over the choice of a new president. Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal won a vote of confidence in parliament after winning support from the centrist opposition Nepali Congress party and other smaller groups, who are now expected to…
(Bloomberg) — A missing radioactive capsule that sparked health fears in Thailand and a search lasting several days has been found and likely crushed, local authorities say. The cylinder, which contains cesium-137 and weighs 25 kilograms (55 pounds), was found in the eastern province of Prachin Buri on Sunday, according to a Facebook post from…
(Bloomberg) — Gold rose above $2,000 an ounce for the first time in more than a year after banking crises in the United States and Europe triggered a return to safe-haven buying. Bullion jumped 6.5% last week in its biggest gain since the early days of the pandemic in March 2020 amid growing fears over…
(Bloomberg) – India will spend an estimated 980 billion rupees ($12 billion) over the next two years on airports, airline orders for hundreds of new planes to meet growing travel demand exerting a pressure on existing infrastructure. The world’s fastest growing aviation market aims to increase the number of airports to 220 by 2025 from…
