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According to official data released by Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), the nation's automotive manufacturing sector registered a significant surge in passenger car output. As reported by "INTERFAX.RU", passenger car production in May 2026 jumped by 47.4% year-on-year, climbing to 51.6 thousand units. Concurrently, cumulative production from January to May witnessed a steady 6.8% expansion, reaching approximately 300 thousand vehicles.
In contrast, the commercial vehicle segment delivered mixed results: truck manufacturing increased by 5% in May to 9.4 thousand units, yet experienced a 19.1% contraction over the five-month period, totaling 47.3 thousand units. Within the public transit vehicle sector, the production of large-scale buses with a gross weight exceeding 5 tons (excluding electric buses) edged up by 1.8% in May with 731 units manufactured. Overall, total bus output across all classifications from January to May was recorded at 68.1 thousand units, marking a 10.4% decline compared to the previous year.
Facing a record drop in fertility rates, Singapore is significantly expanding its family support framework. According to Bloomberg, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced increases in direct financial assistance alongside enhanced housing benefits for young families.
Under the updated policy, every Singaporean child up to the age of 17 will be eligible to receive up to 70,000 Singapore dollars (approximately $55,000 USD) in total support, which includes cash payouts, educational grants, and related benefits. The government is also expanding paid parental leave and capping monthly out-of-pocket costs for government-subsidized childcare at 150 Singapore dollars.
These interventions aim to reverse a severe demographic decline, marked by last year's fertility rate drop to 0.87 children per woman, while over 20% of the country's population is currently aged 65 or older.
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