Serbian opposition leader shot at in his apartment

Dr. Dragan Milic's Citizens' Group is a vocal opposition force against the ruling Serbian Progressive Party in Serbia's third city Nis.

Netanyahu's family expenses scrutinised in 2025 budget meeting

Israel's Finance Committee approved the 2025 Budget Bill for second and third readings after a 13-hour marathon session, with scrutiny falling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's family expenses.

Zelensky calls US talks in Saudi Arabia “constructive”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the talks between Ukrainian and US delegations in Saudi Arabia as “constructive and beneficial,” in his evening address on March 23.

Moldovan businessman Platon to be extradited by UK for Russian laundromat trial

Veaceslav Platon was arrested in London after an extradition request by Moldova, which accuses him of organising a conspiracy to move vast sums of money out of Russia between 2010 and 2014.

Korea’s Constitutional Court throws out impeachment of Prime Minister Han

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has dismissed the impeachment of Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, in the process reinstating him as acting president amid ongoing political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law

IMF: How Artificial Intelligence can boost productivity in Latin America

Latin America and the Caribbean has long been a region with one of the most informal labour markets. A large part of the workforce is outside of the formal economy, leaving many people without access to benefits and protections.

Indonesia to launch national data centre by April 2025

Equipped with 25,000 core processors, 200 terabytes of memory, and 40 petabytes of storage, the facility will operate with an initial electricity capacity of 20 megawatts, expandable to 80 MW.

Tether emerges as a key crypto for Russia's foreign trade.

Recent reports indicate that Russia has been increasingly using the crypto stablecoin Tether in international transactions in a bid to circumvent Western sanctions.

Iraq ditches dollar in digital dinar bid to end parallel market

Iraq's Central Bank is preparing to launch a digital dinar as part of its transition to digital currency management as it prepares to take steps away from a cash-based economy.

Telegram CEO Durov returns to Dubai amid French investigation

Telegram founder has left France and returned to his adopted home of the United Arab Emirates after several months detention in the country.

COMMENT: Is the EU going to fall apart?

Is the EU about to break apart under the stress of taking over the full weight of supporting Ukraine, the need to rearm and the hundreds of billions that must be invested if it is to become competitive again?

BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Imamoglu’s construction company also ‘detained’

Investigators appear to have set out to sell the idea of a web of corruption and misdeeds to the public as they attempt to justify taking Erdogan’s main rival into custody.

ASH: Trump delivers on Putin’s plan to ensure Ukraine fails

Trump’s peace plan is proceeding at breakneck pace but the problem is that it is Ukraine’s neck that is on the line here.

COMMENT: Rail and logistics firms bet on Middle Corridor as key Eurasian route

As the Trans-Caspian International Transport route grows in importance, rail operators and other companies have committed to boosting traffic along the route.

COMMENT: Meeting protesters’ demands would improve Serbia’s investment climate

Serbian officials have accused protesters of damaging the economy, but meeting the demands for more efficient institutions and a stronger judiciary would improve the investment climate in the long-term.

Polish retail sales disappoint in February

Polish retail sales fell 0.5% year on year in constant prices in February, defying the consensus, which expected a 3.2% annual increase.

Polish industrial production fall 2% y/y in February

Poland’s industrial production contracted 2% year on year at constant prices in February (chart), after a revised fall of 0.9% y/y the preceding month, unadjusted data from the statistical office GUS showed.

Polish PPI deflation deepens slightly in February

Poland's producer price index fell 1.3% year on year in February (chart), following a revised fall of 1% y/y in January, the country’s statistics office GUS said.

Moldova keeps base rate at 6.5% despite disappointing economic growth

Previously the BNM hiked the monetary policy rate twice since the beginning of the year to address rising inflation prompted by regulated energy prices

Slovak unemployment drops to 3.79% in February

PANNIER: It’s exactly 20 years since Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution. What lessons did Central Asia’s rulers learn?

Proponents of democracy won’t like the answer.

Kazakhstan finds its place in the new world order

Astana continues to balance its relations with Russia, China and the West, while nurturing ties with mid-level powers such as the Gulf states and South Korea.

China sits on the Afghan-Pakistan fence as the Uyghurs watch and wait

As the largest foreign investor in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, China has thus far remained silent on the escalating tensions between the two neighbouring countries.

India boosts energy, mobility infrastructure in western Himalayas

The union territory of Ladakh holds immense strategic and geopolitical importance for India as it borders China and Pakistan.

ING: What a potential restart of Russian gas flows could look like

Growing optimism for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine has sparked discussions about the potential resumption of Russian gas flows to Europe. It might happen: a partial restart of flows could drastically change the outlook for the gas market.

TEHRAN BLOG: Financial hardship weighs heavily on Persian New Year festivities

Nowruz holidays come this year as the rial faces its biggest struggle against the US dollar.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Thousands protest against Imamoglu detention, but there’s no sense of critical mass

Cocksure authorities even assure public they will pick up those who tweet-protest from their homes.

TEL AVIV BLOG: Israeli society reacts to resumption of Gaza conflict and ceasefire collapse

Israeli society is torn over the latest early morning airstrikes on Gaza, with those connected with the abducted urging calm.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Latest from the odorous regime

Turkey watchers peel back the layers as Bankpozitif, Flash TV and Payfix seized as part of illegal sports betting prosecution.

MOSCOW BLOG: Little common ground as Russia prepares to offer ceasefire conditions

Bankova opened the bidding in the peace talks by calling for a 30-day ceasefire and withdrawing from Russia’s Kursk region as an act of “good faith”. But both sides have adopted harder lines with little common ground as starting positions.

Philippines launches fourth green energy auction with expanded capacity

The Philippines’ Department of Energy has outlined the guidelines for the fourth green energy auction, targeting the addition of 9,378 MW of renewable energy capacity.

Bulgaria to build €15mn H2START hydrogen valley

Bulgaria's Stara Zagora to become one of only two hydrogen valleys in Europe, producing 500 tonnes of hydrogen annually.

Air quality in Tajikistan ranked among world’s worst – survey

Central Asia one of globe’s most air-polluted regions.

IEA says battery costs have plunged by 75% since 2015

You might have noticed that batteries are everywhere these days. They power phones and many other gadgets, but also more and more cars, bikes, scooters and vans.

Environmental groups caution against overdevelopment of river resources in Central Asia

Call on international financial institutions to reevaluate projects.