Moscow / The Diplomat Russia has inked a new deal with Laos for the repair of military equipment. According to media reports, Russian Helicopters, which is part of the state firm Rostec, signed the contract with the Laotian defense ministry. Under the four-year deal, experts from the firm will carry out helicopter repairs. Among the equipment to be serviced …

  New Delhi / Bloomberg Barely a year after ordering sugar mills to compulsorily export from a mountain of stockpiles, India is struggling to cope with spiraling prices and a potential shortage. After the strongest El Nino in two decades shriveled crops, India’s production is set to decline for a second year to the smallest in seven years. That’s alarmed …

  BAGHDAD / AP Even as Iraq slowly claws back territory from the IS group, faith in the government is crumbling among many, particularly the country’s Shiites, angered by political disarray and the continual pounding of the capital, Baghdad, by militants’ bombings. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi triumphantly announced the beginning of operations to retake the IS-held city Fallujah, promising over …