The Biden administration will request a 1% increase in defense spending, to $849.8 billion, for fiscal year 2025, officials familiar with the matter said, scaling back plans for a bigger boost as it grapples with caps imposed by last year’s debt-limit deal. The cuts reflect a decision to seek less money for procurement and research … Read more
China’s defense spending will grow by 7.2% in 2024 — the most in five years — an increase that comes amid signs corruption is undermining a military revamp. Military expenditure by the central government is expected to rise to 1.67 trillion yuan ($231 billion) this year, according to a Finance Ministry report released on Tuesday. … Read more
When Estonia’s much-fêted prime minister, Kaja Kallas, went to Washington in November, she didn’t just meet with White House officials. She also made sure to talk to key allies of Donald Trump. A month earlier, her foreign minister was in the heart of Trump country, thanking workers at a Lockheed Martin Corp. factory in Arkansas … Read more
In 2021, almost two-thirds of respondents said they considered environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors when investing. In 2022, that number was 60%, and this year it’s 53%, according to the annual ESG Attitudes Survey from the Association of Investment Companies. Asked why they were over ESG, the top reason given was that performance was … Read more