LONDON —Despite Western attempts to stifle Russia’s economy through sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine last year, Russian trade volumes with dozens of countries have actually increased since the war began — with NATO member Turkey providing a “critical” economic lifeline for Moscow, according to an analysis by the Washington-basedAtlantic Council.The countries that have increased trade since the February 2022 invasion include several European Union and NATO members, according to th

LONDON —Russia is seeking to copy Iran’s tactics in evading Western sanctions imposed on Moscow since its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to a report from Britain’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI),published June 6.Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, the European Union, Britain, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, have imposed successively tougher sanctions on Russia, initially since its forceful annexation of Crimea in 2014.Russia sanctionsThe measures ha

SYDNEY —Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has concluded a visit to Vietnam, during which he signed a multi-million-dollar agreement to help Vietnam decarbonize its economy. Tensions with China have also been the backdrop to the visit.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said he wants Vietnam to become one of his country’s “top tier” partners as the government in Canberra seeks to diversify from its reliance of China, its biggest trading partner.Australia and Vietnam have s

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA —Cambodia’s successionwon’t be rushed. When speculation swirled almost two years ago that the prime minister’s eldest son would take over in this summer’s election, his father, Hun Sen, the premier for some 40 years, quashed it.“I am still standing, so what’s the point of my son being the prime minister,” Hun Sen saidlate in 2021. “So, his possible [premiership] is not before 2028. It is more likely to take place between 2028 and even 2030. He must wait.”In the mea

TOKYO —An International Atomic Energy Agency team arrived in Tokyo on Monday for a final review before Japan begins releasing massive amounts of treated radioactive water into the sea from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, a plan that has been strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.The team, which includes experts from 11 countries, will meet with officials from the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, and visit the Fukush

MILAN —Good relations with China are possible even without being part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in an interview published Sunday, as her government weighs abandoning the project.Italy is the only major Western country to have joined China's BRI scheme, which envisions rebuilding the old Silk Road to connect China with Asia, Europe and beyond with large infrastructure spending.In an interview withIl Messaggerodaily, Meloni said it