Features
Single time zone in Kazakhstan messing with citizens’ circadian rhythms
Business owners contend fewer people are going out, spending money.
Wild central banking policies to crash-land the Russian economy are tanking the ruble
It’s not often you get to describe central banking decisions as “wild”, but some of the choices being made in Moscow at the moment are completely out of the box. The famed macro-economic management team is making some extreme choices.
PANNIER: Grievous blow for the Pamiris as Tajikistan ends cooperation with the Aga Khan
Decades-old ties with chief benefactor and spiritual leader will be cut by latest serving of oppression from Dushanbe.
BEIRUT BLOG: Ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah takes effect amid mixed emotions
The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect at 4:00 AM on November 27, bringing a temporary end to over a year of cross-border strikes and months of intense military escalation that claimed thousands of lives.
INTERVIEW: Black & Veatch well-positioned for growth through energy transition
Global engineering, procurement and construction firm Black & Veatch is well-positioned both in the LNG space and across the broader energy sector to capitalise on the energy transition and ensure the company’s continued growth.
Israel-Lebanon ceasefire draws scepticism from politicians and Israeli public
Israel’s cabinet approved a US-brokered ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in what was a 10-1 vote in favour. The vote came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation on the evening of November 26.
EBRD warns of risks for emerging markets pursuing industrial policies
Industrial policy is back "with a vengeance” but can have a distorting effect, EBRD chief economist Beata Javorcik told bne IntelliNews
PROFILE: Calin Georgescu, Romanian far-right presidential candidate
Shock first round lead for rank outsider reflects voters' deep dissatisfaction with the country’s mainstream parties.
INTERVIEW: Fintech in a volatile world
iBanFirst’s regional director for Southeast Europe Johan Gabriels discusses the rise of the fintech sector in the region.
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Iraq census reignites ethnic tensions across country
Iraq's first national census since 1997, begun on November 20, has rekindled ethnic tensions across the fractured country, as Arab, Kurdish and Turkmen groups demand the count be suspended.
Turkmenistan, the isolationist black sheep of the five ‘Stans family
Ancient rivalries and a tortured relationship with Russia have made Turkmenistan the black sheep in the Central Asian family. But that is beginning to change as economic interests are slowly pulling the gas-rich country out of its isolationism.
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Iran president backs moving capital from Tehran to Persian Gulf
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has ordered a study into relocating the country's capital from Tehran, appointing his deputy Mohammad Reza Aref to lead what could be one of the most ambitious urban projects in Iran's modern history.
Analysts outline three scenarios for Ukraine’s winter blackouts
Ukraine is facing a freezing and dark winter after Russia’s destroyed almost all of its non-nuclear power and heating capacity this year. Apartments will become unliveabily cold, which could drive another 500,000 refugees to flee the country.
Kazakhstan: Officials resorting to press gangs to curb draft evasion
Widespread practice of hazing linked to draft difficulties.
PANNIER: Central Asia faces tough race against clock to prevent water crisis
Region in no doubt that climate change has arrived. Efforts to save critical resource taking on more urgency.
PROFILE: Peter Magyar has a daunting task to scale up his party to challenge Orban in the 2026 elections
The Tisza leader has emerged as a credible challenger to Hungary's longest serving premier and is currently even polling ahead of the ruling Fidesz party.
Xi lays out the new rules of Global South Consensus to Biden
What has been portrayed as an economic clash between East and West is taking on an increasingly ideological nature. Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out new rules of the game for Sino-US relations in blunt terms to US President Joe Biden.
War for citizenship: Why Uzbeks fight for Russia
The Uzbek government is actively discouraging citizens from becoming mercenaries.
Georgia’s Armenians and Azerbaijanis: an easy target for Georgian Dream vote manipulation
Georgia’s minority areas tended – with the help of extensive vote-buying and intimidation, the opposition argues – to vote overwhelmingly in favour of Georgian Dream.
The East-West clash will fuel nuclear weapons proliferation
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy shocked his Western allies last month at the EU summit by suggesting Ukraine needs to become a nuclear power again if it is not granted Nato membership soon.