Kremlin spokesman Peskov said all Russian deputy prime ministers will continue to carry out their duties until President Putin issues the relevant decree.

Syria and the World Bank Group (WBG) said on the 18th they agreed to establish a multi-donor trust fund to support recovery and reconstruction. The Syria Recovery and Reconstruction Trust Fund will provide concessional finance, investment guarantees, technical assistance and capacity building, and seek to attract private investment to support economic recovery and post-war reconstruction. The fund will be managed by the WBG under its policies and procedures; the WBG will work with donors and development partners to allocate resources according to priorities set by the Syrian government.

MOFCOM and eight other ministries issued guidance to accelerate tech-driven commerce and raise basic-demand service standards. Key measures: promote new home-service models by supporting partnerships between housekeeping firms and tech companies to build intelligent home-service platforms; speed restaurant digitalization and publish exemplar digital cases; support qualified localities to pilot AI in health management, pharmacy services and rehabilitation nursing to expand quality medical supply; and improve eldercare and childcare services by encouraging regions with capacity to develop smart elderly-care institutions and fast-track new smart eldercare and childcare business models.