Student protests spread across the Balkans
“Unchained” Trump is main risk to broadly positive Emerging Europe growth prospects
Belarusian firm providing Russia with military-quality microchips
RIDDLE: Sanctions and the Eurasian Economic Union
David Beckham registers trademark in Russia despite supporting Ukraine
Russian holiday-makers return to Europe as demand for trips abroad surges
At Aero India, Russia aims to keep New Delhi interested
China’s President Xi to visit Moscow for Victory Day parade in May
Kaliningrad becomes an energy island after Baltic States cut Russian grid connection
Trump, Putin hold first call – New York Post
Trump threatens Russia with even more sanctions
Europe's economic woes made worse by looming trade war with US, says Goldman Sachs
Lack of megadeals drags down M&A volume in Emerging Europe
Czech unemployment rises to 4.3% in January
Czech industry deepens its slump to 1.4% in 2024
Czech National Bank returns to lowering of interest rates, by 0.25bp to 3.75%
Hungary's January inflation soars to 5.5%, 0.7pp above forecast
Hungary marks the first anniversary of Clemency-Gate and the ascent of opposition leader Peter Magyar
Hungary's Economy Minister hints at reintroducing price caps amid rising inflation
Viktor Orban references ‘great replacement’ and ‘Reconquista’ in speech at European radical right-wing gathering
Poland plans to spin-off state-owned coal assets as energy transformation plans slowly gather momentum
Polish manufacturers start 2025 on slightly more upbeat note
Slovak populist PM Fico congratulates Musk on dismantling USAID
Mass protests against Slovak Fico’s cabinet continue as PM holds on to his conspiracies
Slovak industry slumps by 0.7% y/y in 2024
Slovenian president “very worried” about far-right FPÖ-led government in Austria
London to name Karen Pierce special envoy to the Western Balkans
Albania plans Vatican-style state for Bektashi order in Tirana
Bosnia's Republika Srpska to make new attempt to pass ‘foreign agents’ law
Shopping boycotts launched across the Balkans
Majority of Bulgarians don’t want to adopt the euro
Seven bid for Lukoil’s Bulgarian refinery, PM Zhelyazkov says
Croatia records highest inflation in Eurozone as shopping boycott gains momentum
e-commerce drives surge in parcels carried by Croatian Post
Ruling Vetevendosje wins Kosovo election but falls short of majority
BALKAN BLOG: Kosovan PM’s likely re-election challenges Trump administration’s Balkan ambitions
Four candidates compete for Kosovo’s premiership in February 9 election
EU helps Moldova overcome energy crisis with €310mn financial package
EU gives Moldova €30mn as short-term fix to energy crisis and promises longer-term plan
Ukraine offers coal and experts to settle Transnistria’s energy crisis without Russia
North Macedonia faces economic strain as European carmakers restructure
Romania’s President Iohannis resigns
Romania’s retail sales leap by 8.6% y/y in 2024, but outlook deteriorates
Erste warns Romania needs further fiscal correction but downgrade risk remains low
Serbia’s bid for investment grade status delayed amid political instability
Turkey completes tenders for 800 MW of solar
Tech startups in Turkey raise $1.1bn in 2024
Turkey hikes end-2025 inflation "target" to 24% y/y
PANNIER: Prince Karim Aga Khan IV obituary
The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili, passes away at 88
Inmates shot dead as Tajik prison guards battle “Islamic State” escape attempt
Pakistan, Bangladesh strengthen ties in post-Hasina era
COMMENT: Trump’s return holds both peril and promise for the South Caucasus
Families of Karabakh Armenian leaders condemn sham trials in Azerbaijan
China enhances position as Central Asia’s economic overlord
Azerbaijan's President Aliyev demands land corridor through Armenia as tensions rise
Baku moves to close Russian cultural centre as diplomatic tensions rise
Azerbaijan releases Russian 'golden judge' despite Moscow’s extradition request
COMMENT: Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan create new Eurasian economic hub
Azerbaijan claims possession of Russian missile fragment extracted from doomed AZAL Flight 8243
Georgia’s ruling party launches commission to probe former ruling UNM
Georgia’s ruling party targets NGOs and media with new legislation
Georgian Dream parliament annuls mandates of 49 opposition MPs
Georgian wine renaissance defies political turmoil
Kazakhstan: Village-to-city migration reaches record high in 2024
New Aga Khan takes helm of Ismaili Shi'ite Muslims
Rebound in Kazakhstan service sector activity recorded by January PMI
Kyrgyzstan resists Russian pressure to give sanctions-busting firms lenient treatment
Mongolia on a soft power jolt to develop tourism, cultural exports take to stages worldwide
OUTLOOK Small Stans & Mongolia 2025
Angry Mongolians take to streets in public backlash over taxes and smog
Mongolia revives traditional "Ghengis Khan" script bichig
Turkmen loo users warned state newspapers not “read and wipe” material
PANNIER: Taliban’s relations with Central Asia imperilled as Trump turns off aid taps
India’s doubts over TAPI Pipeline persist amid security and geopolitical concerns
Sanctioned Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion
Russia's budget oil breakeven price world’s second lowest as oil revenues recover
Southeast European countries look to Algeria to diversify energy supplies
Slovenia turns back to Algerian gas after flirtation with Russian supplies
IEA: Access to energy improving worldwide, driven by renewables
The hurricane season in 2024 was weird
Global warming will increase crop yields in Global North, but reduce them in Global South
Hundreds of millions on verge of starvation, billions more undernourished as Climate Crisis droughts take their toll
EBRD delivers 26% expansion in investments in 2024, commits record €16.6bn across economies
Global access to energy starts to fall for the first time in a decade, says IEA
Saudi Arabia hosts kingdom's first Africa summit, to boost ties, promote stability
Putin at 2023 Africa-Russia summit: Wiping debts, donating grain and boosting co-operation
Botswana throws the diamond industry a lifeline
Nelson Mandela worried about natural diamonds, Leonardo di Caprio defended them, makers of lab-grown stones demonise them
Botswana’s 2,492-carat diamond discovery is golden opportunity to replicate legendary Jonker diamond's global legacy
Kamikaze marketing: how the natural diamond industry could have reacted to the lab-grown threat
Russia’s Rosatom to support nuclear projects across Africa at AEW2024
JPMorgan, Chase and HSBC reportedly unwittingly processed payments for Wagner warlord Prigozhin
Burkina Faso the latest African country to enter nuclear power plant construction talks with Russia
IMF: China’s slowdown will hit sub-Saharan growth
Moscow unlikely to give up Niger toehold as threat of ECOWAS military action looms
CAR mercenary becomes first African to die in Ukraine conflict
Overcoming insecurity to unlock the Central African Republic’s mineral riches
Rain, rain go away
Africa, Asia most people living in extreme poverty
10 African countries to experience world’s fastest population growth to 2100
EM winners and losers from the global green transformation
Arab countries reject Trump's proposal to relocate Palestinians from Gaza to Egypt and Jordan
Russia seeks to expand its nuclear energy dominance with new international projects
EBRD warns of risks for emerging markets pursuing industrial policies
Can Eritrea’s mining sector flourish under autocratic rule?
SDS storms fed by sand and dust equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, says UNCCD
Southern Africa has 'enormous' potential for green hydrogen production, study finds
G20 summit wraps up with a joint statement strong on sentiment, but short on specifics
Malaysia seeks BRICS membership
Kazakhstan has no plans to join BRICS, says Astana
Sri Lanka to apply for BRICS membership
From oil to minerals: Gabon’s ambitious mining transition
How France is losing Africa
Guinea grants final approvals to Rio Tinto for $11.6bn Simandou iron-ore project
Mixing with the running stars at Kenya’s Home of Champions high altitude training camp
US adds 17 Liberian-flagged bulk carriers and oil tankers to Russian sanctions-busting blacklist
Panama and Liberia vying for largest maritime registry
Force majeure at Libya’s Zawiya Refinery threatens exports and oil expansion plans
Russia, facing loss of Syrian base for Africa operations, seen turning to war-torn Sudan or divided Libya
Libya’s mineral riches: unlocking a future beyond oil
Russia funding war in Ukraine via illegal gold mining in Africa – WGC report
Ukraine claims it was behind massacre of Wagner Group mercenaries in Mali
Can Morocco's phosphate wealth put it at the centre of the global battery supply chain?
Hajj aftermath: deaths, disappearances and detentions spark investigations across world
Sri Lanka's LTL Holdings targets African power sector
Russia's nuclear diplomacy binding emerging markets to the Kremlin
Can Niger's military junta seize the country's uranium opportunity?
Disaster season: heat waves sweep the world – in charts and maps
More than 5,000 Nigerian women trapped in Iraq
Niger and beyond: Francophone credit delivers coup de grâce
EBRD 2023: Bank to expand into the whole of Africa plus Iraq
Global coal trade approaches its peak
The world has passed peak per capital CO₂ emissions, but overall emissions are still rising
Trump threatens BRICS with tariffs if they dump the dollar
SITREP: Middle East rapidly destabilised by a week of missile strikes
Gold and guns: how civil war keeps Sudan's mineral riches in the ground
Colombian mercenaries trapped in Sudan’s conflict
COMMENT: Tunisia on the brink of collapse
Tunisian President Kais Saied re-elected for second term
WHO declares "global public health emergency" owing to mpox outbreak in Central Africa, new virus strain
Climate crisis-driven global food security deteriorated between 2019 and 2022 and is even affecting the US
Hacker targets Indonesian banks with ransomware threats
Russia’s Mir cards remain an open question in India
Reserve Bank of India resumes bond purchases after three years to manage liquidity
Cost of repairing Syria’s power infrastructure put at $40bn by electricity minister
Indian banks' profitability to moderate in FY26
Is China ready for Trump’s tariff threats?
Jindal Nuclear plans to build 18GWe of nuclear power generation capacity in India
India eyes at least 100GW of nuclear power by 2047
China hit its ambitious renewable energy targets six years ahead of schedule
India’s PM SuryaGhar scheme brings rooftop solar to 850,000 homes in first year
Toyota to open fully-owned EV plant in Shanghai, increase operations in the US
Is India set to take on China's DeepSeek?
Pakistan urges World Bank to fund smart meter project
China’s satellite internet provider Spacesail sets up in Kazakhstan
INTERVIEW: REnergy Dynamics eyes 175 tonnes per day in compressed biogas projects in India
Chinese power projects under CPEC leave Pakistan struggling with debt
Gold prices in Pakistan hit record high
Where are the world’s rare earth metals?
Aluminium prices dip as Trump considers 10% tariff on Chinese imports
India's Competition Commission approves major steel industry acquisition
DeepSeek: The Chinese AI start-up worrying governments around the world
Xi Jinping, Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra discuss online scams, strengthen ties amid global uncertainty
China investigates Google for anti-monopoly violations as US trade tensions escalate
COMMENT: Gulf states court Russia but stop short of strategic shift
Bahrain's security chief meets Syrian commander amid diplomatic push
Bahrain and Iran to begin talks on normalising relations
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait set to offer Russians visa-free entry
Trump's Iran sanctions put Iraq's power sector at risk
Iran pardons two journalists who reported on Mahsa Amini's death
Trump's return pushes Iran to war or deal
Iran's president says Trump plots to "bring the revolution to its knees"
Iraq recovers ancient artefacts from Japan and Switzerland
Iraq sues Lexus over advertisement at historic site
France awards top military honour to Iraqi commander
UN estimates $53bn required for Gaza reconstruction amid ceasefire
COMMENT: Jordan is in no position to reject Trump's Gaza plans
Israel's defence minister orders IDF to facilitate Trump resettlement plan
Malaysia rejects Trump proposal for Palestinian displacement from Gaza
Syrian foreign ministry urges Kuwait to reopen embassy in Damascus
Kuwait greenlights tax deal with Iraq to prevent double taxation
Iran demands 'equal footing' with Kuwaiti and Saudi plans to drill for gas in Gulf
Lebanon politicians unveil reform programme
Lebanon forms 24-member cabinet aimed at economic revival
Lebanon's financial crisis drives citizens toward cryptocurrency
Qatar expands diplomatic and economic ties with Lebanon
US winds down Guantanamo Bay with removal of Yemenis to Oman
So you want to get on the right side of Donald Trump? Try gift-wrapping a hotel
ANALYSIS: Regional escalation on the table following Israeli strike on Iran
COMMENT: Everyone wants a piece of the post-war Syria pie
Qatari Emir discusses developments with Syrian interim President
US chip firm Groq secures $1.5bn Saudi expansion as Paris weighs AI rules
Saudi Arabia announces $14.9bn tech investments, DeepSeek opens in Gulf
Turkey could set up airbases in Syria’s desert, brief Damascus sources
NEOM food unit Topian signs SAR1.9bn Jazan aquaculture deal
Hungarian government abandons €12bn 'Mini Dubai' project amid public outcry
Iran eyes role as a digital hub in Persian Gulf region
The world reacts to Trump 2.0
Yemen launches missile at Israeli base amid US-UK airstrikes escalation
Trump’s USAID retreat from Latin America opens door to Chinese influence
COMMENT: Trump's Latin America gambit pays off, but at what cost?
Argentina to exit WHO in latest break with international bodies
“Latin American Davos” kicks off in Panama as region battles growth slump
Latin America set for tepid growth as Trump tariff threat looms, ECLAC says
Climate crisis threatens Latin America's fight against hunger, UN report says
BREAKING: Two dead as plane crashes into rush hour traffic on São Paulo avenue
Colombia’s Petro claims cocaine “no worse than whiskey” in controversial broadcast
Venezuelan foreign minister brands US Secretary Rubio "obsessed" over leftist regimes
Who are the two leading candidates in Ecuador's tight presidential election?
Trump reveals his plan to take over Gaza following meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu
El Salvador tests global prison market with US inmate plan
LATAM BLOG: Sheinbaum's short-term tariff win: A quick fix for Mexico or looming crisis?
Panama rebuffs US claim of free canal transit and cuts China ties
US Secretary Rubio warns Panama over Chinese influence at canal amid regional tour