Punches from opposition MPs fail to block Bulgaria’s new pro-Western government

Gerb and CC-DB announce joint government shortly after homophobic taunts sparked violent parliament brawl.

Kosovo’s PM Kurti defies US demands to withdraw special police from troubled north

Kurti defiant in the face of strong criticism from Kosovo's Western allies.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics elected president

Narrow victory of ruling party candidate could damage the coalition as the other two parties are unhappy about New Unity holding the presidency as well as the premiership.

Russia set to soon send fertiliser to Nigeria for free, Lavrov says

Western countries haven't imposed sanctions on Russian fertiliser exports, but the Kremlin claims trade is hampered by difficulty processing payments, and obtaining vessels and insurance

Hungarian government submits 2024 budget with deficit of 2.9% of GDP

Budget is based on optimistic forecast of 4% economic growth next year and includes halving of windfall taxes on banks, pharmaceutical companies and energy suppliers.

EU approves €179.5mn aid for Rimac Automobili's robo-taxi project

Electric supercar producer now developing €450mn urban mobility system with fully autonomous electric vehicles.

eBay teams up with Posta Romana to get Romanian products to foreign online shoppers

e-export nation platform to help SMEs export their products to more than 190 countries.

FlowX.ai raises $35mn in Romania’s largest series A funding to date

Investment to fund FlowX.ai's global expansion and product development.

Mastercard doubles down on Uzbek market with opening of Tashkent office

International payments company believes Uzbekistan can be a hub for operations across Central Asia.

Founder sells Romanian online marketplace Elefant to its largest customer evoMag

Elefant.ro is one of the largest online retailers in Romania, with over 2mn customers, but made a substantial loss in 2022.

NEMETHY: Small US banks and commercial real estate – a doom loop?

There is the possibility of a doom loop between small US banks and commercial real estate.

How an eleventh hour promise showed the game was up for Turkey’s Kilicdaroglu

Detractors have long argued he was the wrong man to take the fight to Erdogan, but he’s yet to hint that he’ll quit as leader of the opposition following the weekend election defeat.

KABANOVSKY: Where Nazis dare – missing the trees for the forest in Belgorod

Significant developments are unfolding in Russia. On May 22, an unexpected yet strategic incursion into the Belgorod Oblast was orchestrated by the Freedom of Russia Legion (FRL) and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC).

ING: Turkey no change in central bank’s policy approach

The Central Bank of Turkey kept its policy rate flat at the May meeting and concluded that the current rate is adequate to support the recovery from February's earthquakes. It did not offer any signals about a policy change ahead.

COMMENT: The diamond industry is in crisis and Botswana is going rogue!

Last year, the ‘Knot’, the highly rated American wedding magazine, asked 12,000 newly wed couples whether they had chosen a natural or a lab-grown diamond for their engagement ring? A third went for industrial stones.

PMI shows Turkey’s manufacturing recovery sustained in May

Input costs and selling prices, however, continued to rise amid reports of currency weakness.

Polish GDP confirmed flat in Q1

Polish inflation eases again to 13% y/y in May, flash estimate shows

Price growth is now at its lowest since May 2022 and heading toward single-digit levels by the end of the year.

Turkey posts official 1Q23 GDP growth of 4%

Analyst notes Erdogan administration's policies as they stand will keep macro imbalances large and raise risks to growth.

Stock of bank loans in Romania grows 8.8% y/y in April

Growth lost momentum from March, but hike in foreign currency loans prompted central bank warning.

Mongolia making achingly slow progress in rare earth elements insiders say

Plenty of hype, little action.

Pro- and anti-government protesters defy storms to rally in Belgrade

President Vucic’s resignation as head of the ruling SNS fails to end demands for political change in weekend of protests.

TURKISH ELECTION LIVE: Erdogan wins presidential run-off (As it happened)

As official results announced, challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu gives fiery speech calling for fight against authoritarian regime and for a true democracy.

Economic bombs could wreck Turkey under a re-elected Erdogan, warn analysts

Flashing red lights on lira, sky-high inflation, dwindling FX reserves and soaring cost of insuring debt against default. A currency crisis could be around the corner.

Weekend of rival protests looms in Belgrade

Government plans to show its strength amid growing calls for political change at mass anti-violence protests.

Turkmenistan: Karakum as you are, as you were

The authorities suffer from a case of misplaced priorities in thinking about the future. This and more in this week's Eurasianet Akhal-Teke Bulletin.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Turkey heads for darker waters

Prospect of removing the Erdogan regime at the ballot box appears to have gone for ever.

BALKAN BLOG: Political upheavals force uneasy new alliances

Grand coalitions between rivals are one symptom of the radically changed political landscape of the last decade.

BALKAN BLOG: The fight for a European Moldova isn’t over yet

New poll shows Moldova’s pro-EU president and ruling party risk losing the next elections, despite massive show of support for EU accession.

TEHRAN BLOG: Iran hit by cost-of-kebabs crisis

Consumers skewered by rampant inflation thought to be running at around 60%.

bneGREEN: Biden officials ‘in serious talks’ with Turkmenistan on curbing vast methane emissions

Deal could be struck ahead of COP 28 climate summit. It would be hailed as a major breakthrough in addressing global warming.

bneGREEN: Clean energy investment is extending its lead over fossil fuels – IEA

Investment in clean energy technologies is significantly outpacing spending on fossil fuels as affordability and security concerns triggered by the global energy crisis strengthen the momentum behind more sustainable options, according to the IEA.

bneGREEN: Chinese solar exports climb 64%

China's solar exports grew 64% in 2022 to $52bn despite global tensions, according to analysis by consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

bneGREEN: Climate change to put production of Bulgaria’s renowned rose oil at risk

Rising temperatures and changing patters of precipitation could affect the quality of the petals plucked by hand in a tradition going back centuries.

bneGREEN: Uzbekistan becomes Central Asia's number one in renewable energy

Heavy investment into a few mega projects means that power-hungry Uzbekistan now has about 2.6 GW of green energy capacity, ahead of Kazakhstan – the first country in Central Asia to invest into renewable power.