Russia
New fees, fewer flights: Higher fuel prices pinch consumer budgets beyond the gas pump
USPS and United Airlines. Joe Raedle | Grace Hie Yoon | Anadolu | Getty Images As the U.S.-Iran war enters its fifth week, consumers are facing economic consequences that impact everything from travel planning to mail delivery. Companies and other organizations are increasingly preparing for an environment in which the conflict — and subsequent jolt […]
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How Chinese, Russian Arctic ambitions are fueling a U.S. polar icebreaker mission
The once-impenetrable Arctic waters have become the latest battleground for sea dominance among military and maritime vessels, as increased activity by both the Chinese and Russian Coast Guard and naval ships in recent months has raised concern in the U.S. The Northwest Passage, a sea route extending north of Canada that connects the Arctic Ocean […]
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The Tech Download: How Russia could profit from Iran war helium supply chain disruption in the chip sector
This report is from this week’s The Tech Download newsletter. Like what you see? You can subscribe here. Helium has emerged as a key focus for the tech sector as industry watchers cast their minds to the implications of a prolonged Iran war. A byproduct of natural gas production, helium is crucial to semiconductor manufacturing and […]
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Zelenskyy courts Saudi support as U.S. reportedly weighs redirecting Ukraine aid to Middle East
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich, Germany on Feb. 15, 2025. Sean Gallup | Getty Images Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday kicked off a surprise visit to Saudi Arabia, seeking support for Kyiv as the U.S. reportedly weighs shifting military resources to the Middle East amid escalating tensions with Iran. Zelenskyy met with Saudi […]
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It’s not just oil and gas. The Strait of Hormuz blockage is rattling another vital commodity
Workers unload urea fertilizer from a cargo ship in Yantai Port, Shandong Province, China on March 13, 2026. Cfoto | Future Publishing | Getty Images Farmers in the northern hemisphere are heading into the crucial spring months, during which major fieldwork must begin. Their peers in the south, meanwhile, are busy harvesting crops before the […]
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Former special counsel Robert Mueller has died at 81
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller makes a statement on his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election at the Justice Department in Washington, May 29, 2019. Jim Bourg | Reuters Robert Mueller, former special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, died Friday. Mueller, also former director of the […]
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U.S. says Cuba is prohibited from taking Russian oil as two tankers head to island
An old Soviet-era Lada car drives past a truck belonging to a private Cuban company (mipyme) parked in front of a gas station with an IsoTank of imported fuel in Havana on March 19, 2026. Adalberto Roque | Afp | Getty Images The U.S. Treasury Department has said Cuba won’t be allowed to take delivery […]
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Op-ed: Why my interview with Russia’s ambassador to the U.K. reflected a stark global picture
“A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.” That was how Winston Churchill famously described Russia (the Soviet Union as it then was), back in 1939. To this day, I can’t think of a better way to describe the complications when trying to decipher Russia, its leadership and its motives. A conundrum reinforced to […]
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Iran war oil shock stokes fears of 1970s-style stagflation — why this time could be different
Key Points Fears of higher prices and slower economic growth have unsettled markets over the past week following a spike in the oil price. Investors fear the specter of stagflation and what it could mean for their portfolios, but 2026 looks different to the 1970s for several reasons. Back then, a spike in oil prices […]
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U.S. ‘misadventure’ in Iran has no clear exit strategy, Russia’s UK ambassador says
Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the UK Andrei Kelin during an interview with PA at the official residence of the Russian Ambassador in London. Picture date: Monday February 21, 2022. Aaron Chown – Pa Images | Pa Images | Getty Images The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is a “misadventure” whose goals and exit strategy […]
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