Russia
Gazprom reportedly conditions gas supplies to Moldova on $708mn claim
Gas giant wants Moldova to repay disputed debt or risk losing Russian gas supplies after expected closure of Ukrainian route.
Armenia refuses to host Eurasian Economic Union summit
Yerevan's refusal to host the summit comes amid growing tensions with Russia over the latter's inaction against Azerbaijan's military activities in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Russia’s CBR halts purchasing currency as ruble drops
The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) announced halting purchases of foreign currency on the domestic foreign exchange market from November 28 until the end of 2024 as part of the budgeted regular currency interventions with the Ministry of Finance.
Russian schoolchildren given fail grades for refusing to write letters to soldiers
Russian students have reportedly been penalised for refusing to write letters to soldiers involved in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Bolivia signs $1bn deal with China’s CBC for lithium development
Bolivia has announced a $1bn agreement with China’s CBC, a subsidiary of battery giant CATL, to establish two lithium carbonate plants in the Uyuni salt flats.
Alisher Usmanov’s wealth shrinks by $7.29bn on falling markets
The Uzbek-born Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov has seen his wealth drop by $7.29bn in 2023, according to Bloomberg’s billionaires Index. As of November 24, his net worth stood at $13.8bn.
Global mean sea levels have increased by around 25cm since 1880
There are two key drivers of sea level rise. First, water expands as it gets warmer. Second, ice on land – in the form of ice sheets and glaciers – melts and adds water to ocean basins, Our World in Data reports.
Lax rules agreed at COP29 for global carbon trading market
After failed talks in Azerbaijan at COP29, members did agree, however, to a carbon credit trading market. But it has such broad rules, the system may mean little improvement in emissions – or even higher emissions by buyers.
Major powers among non-signatories of mine ban treaty
25 years ago today, the Ottawa Mine Ban Treaty came into effect. While 164 countries have signed and ratified the agreement since then, major powers like the United States, China and India are among the 34 non-signatories, Statista reports.
Czechia won’t pursue prolonging EU exemption on Russian oil imports ban
But neighbouring Hungary and Slovakia, which have made less effort to diversify their oil supplies, want exemption to be prolonged.
Moldova to face tough winter if Gazprom stops supplying free gas to Transnistria
Moldovan officials are heading for talks with Gazprom in Moscow ahead of the expected cutoff of gas supplies via Ukraine. n
North Korean troops will enter combat in Ukraine soon, Pentagon says
Thousands of North Korean troops stationed in Russia are expected to enter combat in Ukraine imminently, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has stated.
Russian university backtracks after police beat up Iranian students
Russia's Kazan Federal University (KFU) has opened additional service points after Iranian students clashed while queuing for migration documents.
Iranian officials in uproar over police beatings of students in Russia
Iran's Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali has called for disciplinary action against police officers involved in detaining Iranian students following a mass brawl near Kazan Federal University.
Russia’s population is shrinking, the economy needs migrants, says Kremlin spokesman Peskov
Remarks made amid ongoing xenophobic backlash against Central Asian workers in response to spring’s major terrorist attack in Moscow suburb.
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Russia repatriates 26 "children of ISIS" from Syrian refugee camp
Russia has repatriated 26 children from Syria's Al-Roj camp where families of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters are held.
COMMENT: Trump 2.0 could be a blessing for Belarus
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko was quicker than many American news networks to pronounce Donald Trump the winner of the recent US presidential election. Lukashenko showered Trump with compliments as soon as the results were out.
Putin answers US long-range missile permissions with a Russian ICBM
Russian President Vladimir Putin answered the US decision to allow Ukraine to use Nato-made long-range missiles on Russian targets by firing an Oreshnik ICBM at a Ukrainian city on November 22.
In sanction escalation, US targets Russian energy bank Gazprombank
The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has imposed new large-scale sanctions against the Russian financial sector, designating more than 50 banks, including systemically important energy bank Gazprombank.
CBR: October macroeconomic forecast upgrades 2024 growth, but will slow in 2025
The ranges of analysts’ forecasts for the next years have narrowed for most indicators. At the same time, the ranges for GDP growth, unemployment rate, RUB/$ exchange rate, exports, imports and Brent oil price are widening by the end of the period,