US sets six conditions for Iran talks in Trump letter to Supreme Leader

A figure close to the UAE government has published the alleged contents of Trump's letter to Iran's Supreme Leader citing informed sources.

Chile places Chinese observatory project under review

Chile has put a planned Chinese astronomical observatory project under review, potentially dealing a blow to Beijing's scientific ambitions in Latin America.

Iran to establish "Jewel City" at Tehran airport

Iran has signed an investment contract to build a global gold and jewellery trade centre known as "Jewel City" in the free trade zone of Imam Khomeini Airport City (IKAC).

Americans should know threats against Iran will lead nowhere, Supreme Leader says

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has warned the United States during his speech to the faithful in northern Tehran.

European Commission launches inquiry over BYD’s Hungarian investment

The European Commission has launched an investigation into whether BYD received unfair state subsidies from China to support the construction of its Hungarian factory.

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.

Albanian opposition Democrats protest against TikTok ban

The Democrats have accused the ruling Socialist Party of exploiting a teenager's death linked to an online dispute to tighten control over online speech ahead of this year’s general election.

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.

RAGOZIN: What did we die for?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, warned that a ceasefire in the Russo-Ukrainian war would be meaningless without security guarantees for Kyiv.

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

Global cereal production grows faster than populations, says OWID

The world's population has more than doubled over the last 60 years, but global food production has managed to keep up, Our World in Data (OWID) reports.

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.

Russia's leading discount store Fix Price to move into Serbia

Russian discount retailer Fix Price is preparing to enter the Serbian market, with plans to open several stores by the end of 2025. This marks the company's second attempt to establish a presence in Europe.

Turkey in undeclared state of emergency following detention of Erdogan rival Imamoglu

Lira drops 14% as markets take fright. Barring an exceptional pushback from opposition, however, on past performance, country will soon go back to “normal”.

Why India’s adversaries force it to engage with authoritarian regimes

These ‘enemy of my enemy is my friend’ dynamics, while fraught with challenges, offer New Delhi the opportunity to secure its regional influence, contain cross border threats, and protect its economic and strategic assets.

Singapore’s chip fraud scandal has global repercussions

Singapore has found itself at the centre of a high-profile fraud case involving the alleged illegal export of AI-capable servers, potentially containing Nvidia chips.

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.

MOSCOW BLOG: In Trump we "cautiously" trust, say Russian entrepreneurs

As high-stakes negotiations continue between the Trump administration and the Kremlin over a potential ceasefire or peace deal in Ukraine, middle-class Russian professionals and small business owners are seeking improvements in their working lives.

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.