⚡🇪🇬 The Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff arrives in Benghazi to coordinate rescue efforts and implement aid caravans in Libya.

@themediterraneanman

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Taiwan investment in South Asia (+ Australia & NZ) increased by 96% between 2008 and 2023

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Russian trade volume in Asia-Pacific rose by 13% last year

🇷🇺🇺🇸⚡️- President Vladimir Putin has referred to the indictments against President Trump as "politically motivated persecution."

🇱🇻🚫🚆 The cost of the Latvian section of the Rail Baltic railway has been stated to cost 3.7 billion euros... For the tracks and construction relevant to them. The actual total could be as high as 8 billion euros for this singular section of the pan-Baltic railway system.

Construction of the railway in Latvia had been hotly contested between 6 associations comprised of 17 seasoned construction companies from across the world, however the honor of this ambitious project was given to ERB Rail Baltica JV, composed of companies from France, Poland, and Italy. Claims for the original completion date of 2030 are still being held onto by those responsible, however the colossal funds required for this task are nowhere to be found. 160 million euros are currently set aside by the Latvians for the construction project, allowing for just 13 kilometers of track.

While we ponder where the needed funds will come from, Estonia and Latvia both have recently cemented their entry into the Sky Shield Initiative, a pan-European air defense network, with the joint purchase of Iris-T systems. A full system, including everything from logistics to the command and control vehicle, costs a grand total of 140 million euros. The entire purchase between the two countries amounted to 1 billion euros, if we half that number, and add up other Latvian expenditures such as:

- 4 UH-60M Blackhawks (175 Million)
- 200 Patria APCs (236 Million)
- Naval Strike Missiles (110 Million)
- New barracks in Ādaži (approx. 10.5 million)

We are presented with a stunning 1,031,350,000 euros, or what would be around 44 million euros over budget if these were all being paid off at once. This isn't even taking into account the actual costs of a military, which are outlined on the Ministry of Defense's website as:
"Personnel (38%), maintenance (31%) and investments (31%), with EUR 370 million in personnel costs and EUR 309.21 million in maintenance costs. EUR 303.62 million will be invested in upgrading of various capabilities and infrastructure elements."

There's no doubt that these new "investments" to the Latvian military will be paid off over a large course of time, or perhaps upon completion of their receival, yet the expenditures keep growing in quantity with each month. This comes as no surprise when you consider the expected rise of the defense budget from 2.5% to 3% of the total GDP by next year, but at what cost? We've been seeing an increase in crises concerning the agricultural and health (1, 2, 3, 4) sectors of Latvian society, and worryingly high increases in utility prices alongside the intensification of violence and discrimination towards Russian people within the country.