Amid war, Putin looks east at investment forum
Voice of America
A visitor takes pictures of an exhibition stand at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 5, 2024.
Cut off from the West, Russia is pitching its $2 trillion economy to giants like China and Saudi Arabia and longer-term prospects like Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at its premier investment forum in St. Petersburg, which was founded by the czars as a window to Europe.
FILE - A handmade version of the Islamic State group's flag is seen on Sept. 17, 2020. (U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York via AP)
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FILE - Tourists visit Roman ruins in Palmyra, Syria, on May 11, 2023. Syrian state-run media reported on Nov. 20, 2024, that a strike on the historic town killed 36 people. Syrian leaders blamed Israel.
Bannu, Pakistan
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FILE - A convoy of army vehicles patrol the streets in Mandalay, Myanmar, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021.
Major General Kenneth Chigbu, deputy theatre commander of Operation Hadin Kai is shown with poses for a group photograph with Alice Loksha, left, and Fayina Ali at Army Barrack Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, Nigeria, on November 15, 2024.
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