Latest Updates

Liberal Progressive Slovakia nudges ahead of Robert Fico's Smer, according to exit polls

If Michal Simecka succeeds in creating a majority coalition, he could become the most liberal prime minister in the V4 region, steering Slovakia into the core of European politics.

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Digital propaganda revolution dominates Slovak election campaign

President Zuzana Caputova has been repeatedly warning that her country is in an “information storm”.

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Slovak election goes right down to the wire

Slovaks head to the polls on September 30 in an early election that is both vital for the country’s future and perhaps the future of Central Europe.

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"The worst is over," says Russia's economic elite

After a horrendous start to the year with excruciating new oil sanctions that led to the largest January deficit on record, the Kremlin is starting to sound increasingly optimistic about the health of the Russian economy by the end of the year.

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Ukraine releases 2024 budget plan, more spending on military, but raising enough funding will be tough

The Ukrainian government has published a draft budget for 2024, but raising enough money to fund the war effort and keep the economy working is going to be a struggle.

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Slovak strongman Robert Fico follows the Orban playbook

Opponents warn that if Fico wins this weekend's election he will follow Hungarian strongman Viktor Orban’s playbook by hollowing out the country’s democracy and cosying up to the Kremlin, making Slovakia another European renegade.

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PANNIER: Climate change brings neverending energy crisis to Kyrgyzstan

Drought and melted glaciers mean a lack of water for hydro-electricity generation and the last-resort use of more dirty coal to provide power.

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PROFILE: Michal Simecka, leader of Progressive Slovakia

There is a real hope that a late surge of support from the estimated one quarter of undecided voters could push Michal Simecka's Progressives into first place at the September 30 general election.

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HESS: Nagorno-Karabakh shows up the myth of a “rules-based international order”

US warns of Serbian military buildup on Kosovan border

Romania in talks to take over Moldova’s Giurgiulesti port ahead of Ukraine reconstruction

HESS: Nagorno-Karabakh shows up the myth of a “rules-based international order”

The tragic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh – where, at of the time of writing, more than 93,000 of the region’s estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents have fled -- shows that there is no such thing as a rules-based international order.

US warns of Serbian military buildup on Kosovan border

Nato said it is bolstering its KFOR forces in Kosovo after clashes between security forces and an armed Serb group in northern Kosovo.

Romania in talks to take over Moldova’s Giurgiulesti port ahead of Ukraine reconstruction

Romania seeks to take over Moldova’s only port, Giurgiulesti, from the EBRD as it prepares to play a key role in the reconstruction of Ukraine after the war.

News

Serb List official takes responsibility for Banjska violence in Kosovo

Serb List deputy leader Milan Radoicic said he acted alone without informing Belgrade.

EU ministers discuss multi-speed Europe to prepare for enlargement

To enable enlargement of the bloc from the current 27 members, changes to decision-making processes, agricultural policies and regional aid budgets are being considered.

Over 65,000 refugees have fled Nagorno-Karabakh so far

The figure is more than half of the overall population of the ethnic Armenians in the region

Beijing reportedly shelves construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway

Another big blow for ‘CKU’ proponents who have been trying to get the infrastructure project moving for a quarter of a century. Financing said to be a big and unresolved difficulty.

Thunderous explosion rocks Tashkent, one dead and 162 injured in customs warehouse blast

President orders government commission to discover cause of incident within three days. Officials deny explosives involved.

Serb List official takes responsibility for Banjska violence in Kosovo

17 hours ago

EU ministers discuss multi-speed Europe to prepare for enlargement

1 day ago

Over 65,000 refugees have fled Nagorno-Karabakh so far

2 days ago

Beijing reportedly shelves construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway

2 days ago

Thunderous explosion rocks Tashkent, one dead and 162 injured in customs warehouse blast

2 days ago

More News

Tech

Konzum launches Croatia's first automated supermarket

Konzum’s store is one of a growing number of entirely cashierless shops in Europe as international retailers explore the potential of AI technology.

Top IT company IBS Group is the heart of Russia's digital transformation now

IBS Group is best known as the leading provider of IT solutions for Russian businesses and regional governments. Since the war in Ukraine started its importance as a source of software has spiked.

Erdogan asks Musk for Tesla gigafactory during meeting in New York

Also offers entrepreneur cooperation in artificial intelligence and Starlink satellite internet services.

Slovenia reports strong growth in ICT sector

Enterprises in the sector generated €742mn more net turnover and €216mn more value added year on year in 2022.

Romanian startup Druid raises $30mn in series B round

Funding to help Druid accelerate its international expansion, particularly in the US market.

Konzum launches Croatia's first automated supermarket

3 days ago

Top IT company IBS Group is the heart of Russia's digital transformation now

8 days ago

Erdogan asks Musk for Tesla gigafactory during meeting in New York

12 days ago

Slovenia reports strong growth in ICT sector

12 days ago

Romanian startup Druid raises $30mn in series B round

17 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

COMMENT: Pashinyan is unpopular but the opposition looks too weak to oust him

Armenian premier has ridden out worse storms and he may now be able to use Western links to raise his standing.

COMMENT: Time for Europe to get tough on Azerbaijan

“By launching a military offensive in Nagorny Karabakh, President Aliyev forfeited the trust of Europeans. Azerbaijan’s status as a transport hub cannot be a reason for the EU to go soft on Baku,” says scholar Thomas de Waal.

RIDDLE: Russia’s vanishing trade surplus

Over the last quarter of a century, the Russian economy has experienced a roller coaster ride: it has seen both rapid growth in the 2000s and the failures of 1998 and 2008, not to mention the stagnation of the 2010s.

COMMENT: A fresh crisis looming in Nagorno-Karabakh, the resolution will be long and hard

“A fresh disaster may be looming in Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority-Armenian highland enclave within the borders of Azerbaijan,” wrote veteran scholar Thomas de Waal for Carnegie Europe in a note on September 24.

ING: Diesel supply concerns grow with Russian export ban

Middle distillate markets received another boost yesterday after Russia announced that it would be temporarily banning diesel and gasoline exports. This is at a time when there is already plenty of concern around middle distillate availability.

COMMENT: Pashinyan is unpopular but the opposition looks too weak to oust him

3 days ago

COMMENT: Time for Europe to get tough on Azerbaijan

4 days ago

RIDDLE: Russia’s vanishing trade surplus

4 days ago

COMMENT: A fresh crisis looming in Nagorno-Karabakh, the resolution will be long and hard

6 days ago

ING: Diesel supply concerns grow with Russian export ban

6 days ago

More Opinion

Data

North Macedonia’s PPI down by annual 2.1% in August

PPI declined in annual terms for the second month in a row after more than a year of increases.

Ukraine's banking sector earns all time high cumulative profits in 8M23, but month on month, earnings growth slows a little

Ukrainian banks continued to earn strong profits in the first eight months of 2023, recording a profit of UAH 95.1bn ($2.5bn), according to National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) data.

Hungarian central bank cuts O/N rate by 100bp

Interest rate on one-day quick deposits offered at daily tenders and the base rate now equal at 13%.

Retail trade turnover in Ukraine up 7.3% in 1H23 and 23.3% in June y/y

Retail trade turnover in Ukraine is bouncing back thanks to the stabilisation of the economy and low base effects, Ukrstat reported on September 26.

NBU said interest rates could be cut to 18% by the end of year as inflation falls

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) says a reduction in the key policy rate to 18% by the end of the year as part of its efforts to support economic recovery is likely, UBN reported on September 26.

North Macedonia’s PPI down by annual 2.1% in August

2 days ago

Ukraine's banking sector earns all time high cumulative profits in 8M23, but month on month, earnings growth slows a little

3 days ago

Hungarian central bank cuts O/N rate by 100bp

3 days ago

Retail trade turnover in Ukraine up 7.3% in 1H23 and 23.3% in June y/y

4 days ago

NBU said interest rates could be cut to 18% by the end of year as inflation falls

4 days ago

More Data

Features

Plans for doubling Azerbaijan's gas flows to Europe on hold

Expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor pipelines carrying Azerbaijani gas to Europe is on hold pending confirmation that Europe will buy the gas. Baku's offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh could further complicate things.

EBRD projects slowdown in Central Europe, robust growth in Eurasia

High gas prices, China slowdown and shifts in industrial production contribute to slower growth in Central Europe.

Azerbaijanis still too nervous to celebrate Nagorno-Karabakh victory

Azerbaijanis are tired of war but it is not yet clear that the 30 years of conflict are finally over against the ethnic Armenian enclave as well as Armenia itself.

A slow thaw in frozen US-Iran relations has led to booming oil exports

The deep freeze that has been US-Iran relations is slowly thawing. That doesn’t mean relations will become “good” anytime soon. But it does mean that Iran will be able to slowly reintegrate into the global economy.

Russian Foreign Minister roasts US and its European allies as an "Empire of Lies" in UN speech

The United States and its European allies are an "empire of lies," undertaking commitments it has no intention of fulfilling, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told delegates in his speech at the 78th United Nations General Assembly.

Plans for doubling Azerbaijan's gas flows to Europe on hold

2 days ago

EBRD projects slowdown in Central Europe, robust growth in Eurasia

3 days ago

Azerbaijanis still too nervous to celebrate Nagorno-Karabakh victory

4 days ago

A slow thaw in frozen US-Iran relations has led to booming oil exports

5 days ago

Russian Foreign Minister roasts US and its European allies as an "Empire of Lies" in UN speech

5 days ago

More Features

Blogs

Turkmenistan: What Serdar does in the shadows

Russian diplomacy and Turkmenistan's evolving foreign relations amidst president Berdimuhamedov’s growing influence. And more in this week's Eurasianet Akhal-Teke Bulletin.

Will the Iran-US prisoner swap lead to better relations?

A rare deal came through between Iran and the US on September 18 that could potentially pave the way for further de-escalation in the historically tense bilateral ties.

TEHRAN BLOG: Iran's challenges remain daunting, one year after Amini's death

The causes of the protests – discontent with the theocratic ruling system, economic grievances, the fight for women’s rights – remain relevant one year on from her death in the custody of the country's morality police.

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: How many of the Russians who fled Putin’s war machine for Kazakhstan stayed there?

Issue a sensitive one for the Kremlin and Central Asian country’s Tokayev administration.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Brass-necked Erdogan doesn’t bat an eyelid during screeching U-turn on rates

Turkey’s modern-day sultan is now unsaying what he’s been saying for years. Can he get away with it? Of course, he can. The autocrat is not big on accountability.

Turkmenistan: What Serdar does in the shadows

2 days ago

Will the Iran-US prisoner swap lead to better relations?

11 days ago

TEHRAN BLOG: Iran's challenges remain daunting, one year after Amini's death

15 days ago

CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: How many of the Russians who fled Putin’s war machine for Kazakhstan stayed there?

21 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: Brass-necked Erdogan doesn’t bat an eyelid during screeching U-turn on rates

24 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

US steel company makes plans for nuclear fusion

US steel company Nucor and Helion Energy plan to develop a 500-MWe nuclear fusion plant at one of Nucor’s steel manufacturing plants.

Europe’s toxic air – “severe public health crisis”

Europe faces a “severe public health crisis” with dangerous levels of pollution across the continent, according to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper.

Microsoft mulling advanced nuclear strategy

Tech giant Microsoft is getting more heavily into small-scale advanced nuclear power for its data centres.

North Macedonia announces debut green bond issue

Money raised to be used by Energy Efficiency Fund to finance projects focused on environmental protection.

Earth’s energy imbalance – world is starting to cook

The earth’s energy is out of balance and the world is starting to cook, says a new report. The authors include James Hansen, who testified to the US Congress on global heating as long ago as 1988.

US steel company makes plans for nuclear fusion

3 days ago

Europe’s toxic air – “severe public health crisis”

3 days ago

Microsoft mulling advanced nuclear strategy

3 days ago

North Macedonia announces debut green bond issue

3 days ago

Earth’s energy imbalance – world is starting to cook

5 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Serb List deputy leader Milan Radoicic said he acted alone without informing Belgrade.

To enable enlargement of the bloc from the current 27 members, changes to decision-making processes, agricultural policies and regional aid budgets are being considered.

The figure is more than half of the overall population of the ethnic Armenians in the region

Another big blow for ‘CKU’ proponents who have been trying to get the infrastructure project moving for a quarter of a century. Financing said to be a big and unresolved difficulty.

President orders government commission to discover cause of incident within three days. Officials deny explosives involved.

Tech

Konzum’s store is one of a growing number of entirely cashierless shops in Europe as international retailers explore the potential of AI technology.

IBS Group is best known as the leading provider of IT solutions for Russian businesses and regional governments. Since the war in Ukraine started its importance as a source of software has spiked.

Also offers entrepreneur cooperation in artificial intelligence and Starlink satellite internet services.

Enterprises in the sector generated €742mn more net turnover and €216mn more value added year on year in 2022.

Funding to help Druid accelerate its international expansion, particularly in the US market.

Opinion

Armenian premier has ridden out worse storms and he may now be able to use Western links to raise his standing.

“By launching a military offensive in Nagorny Karabakh, President Aliyev forfeited the trust of Europeans. Azerbaijan’s status as a transport hub cannot be a reason for the EU to go soft on Baku,” says scholar Thomas de Waal.

Over the last quarter of a century, the Russian economy has experienced a roller coaster ride: it has seen both rapid growth in the 2000s and the failures of 1998 and 2008, not to mention the stagnation of the 2010s.

“A fresh disaster may be looming in Nagorno-Karabakh, the majority-Armenian highland enclave within the borders of Azerbaijan,” wrote veteran scholar Thomas de Waal for Carnegie Europe in a note on September 24.

Middle distillate markets received another boost yesterday after Russia announced that it would be temporarily banning diesel and gasoline exports. This is at a time when there is already plenty of concern around middle distillate availability.

Data

PPI declined in annual terms for the second month in a row after more than a year of increases.

Ukrainian banks continued to earn strong profits in the first eight months of 2023, recording a profit of UAH 95.1bn ($2.5bn), according to National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) data.

Interest rate on one-day quick deposits offered at daily tenders and the base rate now equal at 13%.

Retail trade turnover in Ukraine is bouncing back thanks to the stabilisation of the economy and low base effects, Ukrstat reported on September 26.

The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) says a reduction in the key policy rate to 18% by the end of the year as part of its efforts to support economic recovery is likely, UBN reported on September 26.

Features

Expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor pipelines carrying Azerbaijani gas to Europe is on hold pending confirmation that Europe will buy the gas. Baku's offensive to retake Nagorno-Karabakh could further complicate things.

High gas prices, China slowdown and shifts in industrial production contribute to slower growth in Central Europe.

Azerbaijanis are tired of war but it is not yet clear that the 30 years of conflict are finally over against the ethnic Armenian enclave as well as Armenia itself.

The deep freeze that has been US-Iran relations is slowly thawing. That doesn’t mean relations will become “good” anytime soon. But it does mean that Iran will be able to slowly reintegrate into the global economy.

The United States and its European allies are an "empire of lies," undertaking commitments it has no intention of fulfilling, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told delegates in his speech at the 78th United Nations General Assembly.

Blogs

Russian diplomacy and Turkmenistan's evolving foreign relations amidst president Berdimuhamedov’s growing influence. And more in this week's Eurasianet Akhal-Teke Bulletin.

A rare deal came through between Iran and the US on September 18 that could potentially pave the way for further de-escalation in the historically tense bilateral ties.

The causes of the protests – discontent with the theocratic ruling system, economic grievances, the fight for women’s rights – remain relevant one year on from her death in the custody of the country's morality police.

Issue a sensitive one for the Kremlin and Central Asian country’s Tokayev administration.

Turkey’s modern-day sultan is now unsaying what he’s been saying for years. Can he get away with it? Of course, he can. The autocrat is not big on accountability.

bneGREEN

US steel company Nucor and Helion Energy plan to develop a 500-MWe nuclear fusion plant at one of Nucor’s steel manufacturing plants.

Europe faces a “severe public health crisis” with dangerous levels of pollution across the continent, according to an investigation by the Guardian newspaper.

Tech giant Microsoft is getting more heavily into small-scale advanced nuclear power for its data centres.

Money raised to be used by Energy Efficiency Fund to finance projects focused on environmental protection.

The earth’s energy is out of balance and the world is starting to cook, says a new report. The authors include James Hansen, who testified to the US Congress on global heating as long ago as 1988.

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