Baltic States

€220,000 Rolls-Royce owned by Russia-linked mayor of Kaunas hits pedestrian

bne IntelliNews July 1, 2025

Visvaldas Matijosaitis, mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city and one of the country's richest men, struck a pedestrian with his ca €220,000 Rolls-Royce on June 30 at a pedestrian crossing in the city.

Poland eyes border checks with Lithuania amid migrant pressure, but Vilnius left in the dark

bne IntelliNews July 1, 2025

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on June 30 that his government is considering reintroducing border controls with Lithuania in response to increased concerns about irregular migration.

Latvia eyes public spending cuts amid budget strain and MP rings alarm bells

bne IntelliNews July 1, 2025

Latvia’s government ministries have begun outlining a series of proposed cost-cutting strategies aimed at easing pressure on the national budget. More than 250 suggestions have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

EU eyes new Asian trade alliances to offset US trade war risks

Ben Aris in Berlin June 30, 2025

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is pushing for closer ties with Asia as part of a new EU trade strategy to offset the growing trade war risks with the Trump administration and reforming the global trade system.

Europe swelters in historic heatwave

bne IntelliNews June 28, 2025

Record-breaking temperatures for the time of year are likely to occur across a large part of western Europe in the coming days as a historically unprecedented heatwave intensifies.

Nato members agree to 5% GDP spending hike, but will they pay?

Ben Aris in Berlin June 26, 2025

Nato leaders agreed to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 and renewed their commitment to collective defence at the Nato summit held in the Hague on June 25, but how many of them will pay?

Estonia already spending more than 5% on Nato defences as it prepares for possible war with Russia

bne IntelliNews June 25, 2025

Nato members are gathering in The Hague for the annual security conference on June 25 where the US is demanding countries increase defence spending to at least 5% of GDP by 2035. Estonia is already there.

Global uncertainty causes FDI to plummet in Emerging Europe

bne IntelliNews June 24, 2025

wiiw research blames crisis in German industry and the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s second term as US president for sharp slowdown in FDI.

Proposed defence spending hike to 5% of GDP exposes divisions among Nato members

bne IntelliNews June 24, 2025

Russia hawks in Poland and the Baltic States are firmly behind plan to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP, while other members question new target.

Who hold the most gold reserves?

bne IntelliNews June 17, 2025

In 2025, gold prices reached unprecedented levels, with spot gold trading at above $3,932 per troy ounce as of May 7th, an increase of over 83% within just a year.

US resists EU and UK push to cut Russian oil price cap at G7 summit

bne IntelliNews June 16, 2025

The US is resisting calls from European governments to reduce the G7 price cap on Russian oil from $60 to $45 per barrel, frustrating efforts by the EU and UK to increase financial pressure on Moscow as leaders meet for a G7 in Canada.

Global energy investment to reach a record $3.3 trillion in 2025, but problems with grids remain – IEA

bne IntelliNews June 5, 2025

Global energy investment is projected to reach a record $3.3 trillion in 2025, despite continued economic uncertainty and heightened geopolitical risks, according to the International Energy Agency.

40% of Europe already in a drought before summer gets fully underway

bne IntelliNews June 3, 2025

As Europe slides into its third disaster season, 40% of the EU is already officially facing a drought before the hottest months of the year arrive. And this year’s droughts are likely to become even worse than previous heatwaves.

Estonia’s Eurovision singer’s Espresso Macchiato teasing Italians goes wild

bne IntelliNews May 30, 2025

After finishing third in this year's Eurovision Song Contest, Estonian artist Tommy Cash has seen his hit single Espresso Macchiato break into both the Billboard Global 200 chart in the United States and the UK Top 40.

Lithuania hands over probe into American soldiers’ deaths to US authorities

bne IntelliNews May 30, 2025

Lithuania handed over the investigation into the deaths of US soldiers at the Pabrade military training area to American authorities, Chief of Defence Raimundas Vaiksnoras said.

COVID is back - a new "NB.1.8.1" strain is spreading across continents

bnm Tehran bureau, bne Moscow bureau, bno Taiwan bureau May 30, 2025

The coronavirus (COVID-19) is back. Reports from health authorities around the world have detected a new highly contagious strain of the virus that has been spreading through Asia and has now reached Russia.

BLOG: Efforts to tackle methane emissions continue, despite Trump’s regulatory rollback

Newsbase May 25, 2025

Momentum behind improved methane monitoring, quantification and mitigation continues to build in the US – even without the same regulatory pressure.

Record temperatures around the world – Statista

Anna Fleck for Statista May 22, 2025

A heat wave is sweeping across South Asia, with temperatures having reached 44°C in India’s Jaipur and 50°C in Pakistan’s Shaheed Benazirabad in April, Statista reports.

Russian authorities release Green Admire tanker after seizure near an Estonian port

bne IntelliNews May 21, 2025

The Liberian-flagged tanker Green Admire, detained by Russian authorities on May 18 after departing the Estonian port of Sillamae, has been released and is now en route to its original destination, Rotterdam.

Data centre power use expected to increase 20-fold in next five years

bne IntelliNews May 20, 2025

The first data centres consumed as much power as 20,000 homes, but the largest today use the same amount of power as100,000 homes, and are on track to burn up 5mn households' worth of power by 2030 – the same amount of power that Japan consumes.

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