Russia
Russia widens its tax net as war spending drains financial buffers
Mining profits, investment income, online imports and foreign-company assets are targeted as the budget deficit exceeds revised plans.
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19 dispatches found
Results for “Asset Control”
Russia
Middle East
US warning raises prospect of a short, intense new Iran campaign
Gulf states were told to prepare for renewed fighting after the US midterms as forces, air defences and strike plans are repositioned across the region.
United States
Washington reopens direct channel to Myanmar's military government
Direct US engagement with Min Aung Hlaing's government began around an American detainee and cyber-scam centres but has widened toward rare-earth access, marking the highest-level contact since the 2021 coup.
Russia
Russia's wealthiest provide over 1% of state spending through wartime donations
Budget documents show 471 billion roubles in so-called voluntary contributions after a March meeting with Vladimir Putin, helping limit a deficit swollen by wartime costs.
Russia
Putin authorizes state takeovers of poorly protected critical infrastructure
A presidential decree permits temporary administration and control of assets when operators fail to defend or quickly repair strategic facilities after Ukrainian attacks.
Brazil
US funding clears path for acquisition of Brazil's Serra Verde rare-earth mine
USA Rare Earth secured $1.5 billion to buy Brazil's only operating rare-earth mine, including $750 million from the US government and a five-year supply commitment.
United States
Trump threatens to declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory
The president linked his territorial threat to the US blockade and control of shipping, while Iran insisted that only Tehran can decide whether the international waterway opens or closes.
Brazil
JBS and Danantara form Asia-Pacific protein venture worth up to $5 billion
Indonesia's sovereign investment arm will take 25% of a new venture built around JBS operations in Australia and New Zealand, combining $2.5 billion in equity with planned debt capacity of the same size.
Middle East
UNIFIL records sharpest Israeli escalation in Lebanon since June ceasefire framework
Peacekeepers counted 113 Israeli projectiles on Wednesday and 120 within 16 hours on Thursday, alongside airstrikes, displacement and new casualties around Al-Mansuri and other parts of southern Lebanon.
Europe
Spain and Morocco reverse unprecedented Ceuta border surge as European divisions deepen
Around 50,000 people entered the Spanish enclave within a day and roughly half returned, while deaths, repatriations and threats of tighter Schengen controls turned the emergency into a wider European dispute.
Africa
African governments resist U.S. health deals over data, minerals and legal authority
Ghana, Zimbabwe and Zambia rejected or delayed proposed agreements, while Kenyan litigation exposed a broader dispute over long-term access to health records, regulatory control and the use of aid in critical-minerals bargaining.
United States
Tech Giants Urge US to Back Open-Weight AI Models
A coalition of 32 tech companies and organizations has called on U.S. policymakers to support open-weight AI models, arguing that American leadership in artificial intelligence depends on fostering an open ecosystem rather than restricting access to frontier models. The signatories include Nvidia, Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI and IBM.