Latest Updates

World Cup fever and K-pop brigades collide with Colombia's bitter run-off

Colombians head to the polls today in a presidential run-off shadowed by allegations of vote coercion, foreign interference and a culture war fought largely on social media.

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TIIF 2026: Albania looks to Central Asia and Middle Corridor links to Asia

When Albanian President Bajram Begaj addressed the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF), he was making the case for a relationship that, by his own government's admission, has barely existed for the past three decades.

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TIIF 2026: Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries ramps up Central Asian operations

Russia’s largest e-commerce operator Wildberries became the largest retailer of any sort when it overtook MasterSport in 2019 and took Russia into a new age of e-commerce. Now it is expanding into Uzbekistan's fast growing economy.

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TIIF 2026: Europeans rush in to a booming Uzbekistan

When Lord Jason Stockwood, Britain's Minister of State for Investment, addressed an investor panel at the fifth Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF) in June, he was brimming with enthusiasm.

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How Russian firms get their apps into App Store despite sanctions

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, sanctioned banks have adopted "guerrilla" strategies to launch their apps on the App Store.

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Imamoglu trial hears of strip search ordeal at Istanbul police station

Case featuring 414 defendants told of alleged tactics “designed to break dignity” as prosecutors demand confessions over web of claimed opposition party corruption.

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India faces twin threat of extreme heat and a slow moving monsoon

Most parts of India are facing unprecedented heatwave conditions. For several weeks, India’s capital, New Delhi, has been suffering under temperatures over 40 °C.

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MOSCOW BLOG: Ukrainian drone strikes spark fuel fears in the Russian capital

Ukraine has once more brought the war to Russia’s capital, launching its biggest drone strike against Moscow since the start of the conflict, causing what may be extensive damage to the city’s main oil refinery and sparking fears of fuel shortages.

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Hungary nears exit from Article 7 procedure after Magyar-Metsola talks

Hungarian president suffers major setback as Constitutional Court sidelines petition seeking legal safeguard against his removal

Iran says Strait of Hormuz completely closed

Hungary nears exit from Article 7 procedure after Magyar-Metsola talks

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola have agreed that the long-running Article 7 procedure against Hungary should be concluded by autumn 2026.

Hungarian president suffers major setback as Constitutional Court sidelines petition seeking legal safeguard against his removal

Hungary’s President Tamas Sulyok has accepted a decision by the Constitutional Court of Hungary that effectively halted his attempt to seek constitutional protection against efforts by the prime minister to remove him from office.

Iran says Strait of Hormuz completely closed

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters has said it will close the Strait of Hormuz to shipping again, citing US violations of the war-ending memorandum and continued Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.

News

EU clears most of Bulgaria's recovery targets, unlocks €1.1bn

Sofia has successfully completed most of the reforms tied to the payment request, but some commitments remain outstanding.

Serbian prosecutors accuse student group of plotting ‘sound cannon’ hoax

Serbian prosecutors say they have obtained evidence suggesting a student group planned to stage a simulated “sound cannon” incident at a major protest last year in order to accuse state authorities.

Hezbollah vows to respond to Israeli attacks, as Iran meets with US officials in Switzerland

Lebanese Hezbollah will respond decisively to any Israeli attack and rely on Iran's continued backing, a Hezbollah MP has said, while sharply criticising the Lebanese government's stance.

Venezuela opens talks with exiled opposition figure under US auspices

Venezuela's interim government held its first formal talks on June 18 with Dinorah Figuera, a former opposition lawmaker who returned from eight years of exile at the invitation of the US State Department.

Cuba approves sweeping market reforms as economic crisis and US pressure mount

Cuba's National Assembly has approved the country's most far-reaching economic overhaul since the 1959 revolution, ratifying a package of reforms designed to pull the island back from the brink of collapse,

EU clears most of Bulgaria's recovery targets, unlocks €1.1bn

1 day ago

Serbian prosecutors accuse student group of plotting ‘sound cannon’ hoax

1 day ago

Hezbollah vows to respond to Israeli attacks, as Iran meets with US officials in Switzerland

1 day ago

Venezuela opens talks with exiled opposition figure under US auspices

2 days ago

Cuba approves sweeping market reforms as economic crisis and US pressure mount

2 days ago

More News

Tech

Foreign platforms drive growth on Hungary’s €6bn e-commerce market

Hungary's e-commerce market grew 9.3% y/y in 2025 and was ten times larger than a decade ago, according to PwC's latest E-toplist ranking.

Estonia plans world's first digital identities for AI agents

PM Kristen Michal says Estonia has an opportunity to help define standards for the next stage of the digital era.

EBRD opens a technology hub in Sofia

New centre to support the EBRD’s operations across all business lines, with a focus on cloud technologies, software engineering, cybersecurity and AI.

Israeli AI company Artlist to lay off 200 of its 500 workers

Israeli AI stock catalogue company Artlist confirmed that it would lay off 200 of its 500 employees in what has been categorised as a strategic move rather than one influenced by financial pressure.

Bulgaria’s Dronamics, Xcalibur partner on drone use for resource exploration

The global airborne geophysical services market was valued at more than $1.35bn in 2026.

Foreign platforms drive growth on Hungary’s €6bn e-commerce market

2 days ago

Estonia plans world's first digital identities for AI agents

3 days ago

EBRD opens a technology hub in Sofia

3 days ago

Israeli AI company Artlist to lay off 200 of its 500 workers

4 days ago

Bulgaria’s Dronamics, Xcalibur partner on drone use for resource exploration

5 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

Election result boosts Armenia's EU path but Russia-backed opposition still a constraint

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan secured a decisive election victory, resilient pro-Russian opposition could slow his efforts to advance peace with Azerbaijan and deepen ties with the West, says Carnegie Politika analysis.

New initiative launched to redirect Gulf energy flows away from Strait toward Mediterranean

Syria envisioned as key cog in new energy distribution network.

COMMENT: Iran and the GCC, the memory remains

Relations across the Gulf have been ruined following more than 100 days of war between Iran, Israel and the US with the Gulf neighbours to the south and east of the Islamic Republic left exposed following a new memorandum with the Trump admin.

Bosnia gas pipeline risks deepening political rifts, think-tank says

A planned EU-backed gas pipeline linking Bosnia & Herzegovina to Croatia could intensify political divisions within the country rather than easing its energy vulnerabilities.

RAGOZIN: Talk of a turning point in Ukraine is a dangerous gamble

Compromised politicians in Ukraine and Europe see the continuation of the war as a lifeline for their expiring careers.

Election result boosts Armenia's EU path but Russia-backed opposition still a constraint

5 days ago

New initiative launched to redirect Gulf energy flows away from Strait toward Mediterranean

5 days ago

COMMENT: Iran and the GCC, the memory remains

5 days ago

Bosnia gas pipeline risks deepening political rifts, think-tank says

6 days ago

RAGOZIN: Talk of a turning point in Ukraine is a dangerous gamble

6 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Czech regulator hikes rates by 0.25bp to 3.75% in first monetary change in 13 months

The Czech National Bank changed the main interest rate for the first time since May 2025.

Pro-EU sentiment remains strong across Eastern Partnership countries, but divides widen

Public support for European Union membership remains robust across much of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova showing particularly high levels of trust and optimism.

Foreign visitor arrivals to Japan down by 3.6% in May

Tourism from China fell for a sixth straight month, dropping 60.4% year on year to 313,000. The decline followed remarks last November by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Japan’s potential involvement in a Taiwan-related contingency

Malaysia's ringgit under pressure as Fed outlook, Middle East diplomacy unsettle markets

This local depreciation is not an isolated event, as the Malaysian currency has traded lower against a comprehensive basket of major global and regional peers.

Vietnam swings to $13.8bn trade deficit as imports soar

The shift was driven by elevated global crude oil prices. Vietnam remains reliant on imported crude to supply its refineries, leaving it exposed to fluctuations in international energy markets.

Czech regulator hikes rates by 0.25bp to 3.75% in first monetary change in 13 months

3 days ago

Pro-EU sentiment remains strong across Eastern Partnership countries, but divides widen

3 days ago

Foreign visitor arrivals to Japan down by 3.6% in May

3 days ago

Malaysia's ringgit under pressure as Fed outlook, Middle East diplomacy unsettle markets

3 days ago

Vietnam swings to $13.8bn trade deficit as imports soar

3 days ago

More Data

Features

Lebanon’s exchange rate stabilization mechanism: how it works and what it has achieved

With the eruption of Lebanon's economic, financial, and monetary crisis in 2019, and the collapse of the long-standing exchange rate peg of 1,500 Lebanese pounds to the US dollar, the foreign exchange market descended into chaos.

BEIRUTER: Aoun's roadmap to restore Lebanon as the gem of the Middle East

Lebanon is stepping up preparations for a new round of negotiations with Israel, scheduled for June 22 in Washington. President Joseph Aoun is holding a series of high-level political and technical meetings aimed at securing practical results.

TIIF 2026: From airports to biotech clusters Uzbekistan and Korea scale up new industrial partnership

Uzbekistan-Korea Business Forum showed that for Seoul, Central Asia country has become a key partner.

Uzbekistan seeks to become the digital command centre of the Middle Corridor

As billions of dollars are poured into infrastructure across Central Asia and the Caucasus, the official responsible for coordinating much of the Middle Corridor says the route's biggest challenge is not physical infrastructure but governance

Uzbekistan seeks to escape the raw materials trap as critical minerals boom gathers pace

Uzbekistan is seeking to transform itself from a supplier of raw materials into a producer of higher-value industrial goods as the global scramble for critical minerals accelerates.

Lebanon’s exchange rate stabilization mechanism: how it works and what it has achieved

1 day ago

BEIRUTER: Aoun's roadmap to restore Lebanon as the gem of the Middle East

1 day ago

TIIF 2026: From airports to biotech clusters Uzbekistan and Korea scale up new industrial partnership

2 days ago

Uzbekistan seeks to become the digital command centre of the Middle Corridor

3 days ago

Uzbekistan seeks to escape the raw materials trap as critical minerals boom gathers pace

3 days ago

More Features

Blogs

BALKAN BLOG: US U-turn on Albanian opposition leader comes at a dangerous moment for PM

Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government has been targeted by a wave of mass protests dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution".

KYIV BLOG: Ukraine peace deal goes back to square one at London summit

The E3 European leaders met in London over the weekend to thrash out a new formula to take to the Kremlin and end the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the document they produced takes us all the way back to the very beginning of the process.

BALKAN BLOG: Albania’s ‘flamingo revolution’ raises questions over Rama’s long rule

What began as an environmental campaign against the planned development linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has rapidly evolved into a broader protest movement.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Ozgur Ozel, master of the loud-but-useless protest

He’s passionate but ultimately dull. While he’s directing matters, the regime can happily go about dismantling the opposition.

MOSCOW BLOG: Germans return to SPIEF as Russia sanctions resolve starts to fray

German businessmen are going to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier investment forum, in a public show of the fraying commitment to cutting off commercial ties under the sanctions regime.

BALKAN BLOG: US U-turn on Albanian opposition leader comes at a dangerous moment for PM

9 days ago

KYIV BLOG: Ukraine peace deal goes back to square one at London summit

12 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Albania’s ‘flamingo revolution’ raises questions over Rama’s long rule

17 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: Ozgur Ozel, master of the loud-but-useless protest

18 days ago

MOSCOW BLOG: Germans return to SPIEF as Russia sanctions resolve starts to fray

18 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

Philippines approves 13 renewable energy projects

The Philippines’ Department of Energy has welcomed the certification of 13 renewable energy projects valued at PHP344.62bn ($5.7bn) under the government’s Green Lane initiative in the first five months of 2026.

Uzbekistan’s growth ambitions collide with shrinking water supplies

Country's plans to expand agricultural production, industrial output and exports are running into an increasingly uncomfortable and stark reality.

Hungary's Futureal Gruop enters Baltic energy storage market with Latvian acquisition

The Baltic power system is undergoing structural change following the 2025 integration of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the continental European electricity grid.

Vietnam expands wind power ambitions for 2030

Vietnam is betting on wind power to fuel its green transition amid the energy uncertainty, while fuel price is changeable.

OMV Petrom to invest €300mn in solar and storage project in Bulgaria

OMV Petrom will build a large-scale solar and battery storage project in Bulgaria, in a further expansion of its renewable energy portfolio in Southeast Europe.

Philippines approves 13 renewable energy projects

3 days ago

Uzbekistan’s growth ambitions collide with shrinking water supplies

3 days ago

Hungary's Futureal Gruop enters Baltic energy storage market with Latvian acquisition

4 days ago

Vietnam expands wind power ambitions for 2030

5 days ago

OMV Petrom to invest €300mn in solar and storage project in Bulgaria

6 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Sofia has successfully completed most of the reforms tied to the payment request, but some commitments remain outstanding.

Serbian prosecutors say they have obtained evidence suggesting a student group planned to stage a simulated “sound cannon” incident at a major protest last year in order to accuse state authorities.

Lebanese Hezbollah will respond decisively to any Israeli attack and rely on Iran's continued backing, a Hezbollah MP has said, while sharply criticising the Lebanese government's stance.

Venezuela's interim government held its first formal talks on June 18 with Dinorah Figuera, a former opposition lawmaker who returned from eight years of exile at the invitation of the US State Department.

Cuba's National Assembly has approved the country's most far-reaching economic overhaul since the 1959 revolution, ratifying a package of reforms designed to pull the island back from the brink of collapse,

Tech

Hungary's e-commerce market grew 9.3% y/y in 2025 and was ten times larger than a decade ago, according to PwC's latest E-toplist ranking.

PM Kristen Michal says Estonia has an opportunity to help define standards for the next stage of the digital era.

New centre to support the EBRD’s operations across all business lines, with a focus on cloud technologies, software engineering, cybersecurity and AI.

Israeli AI stock catalogue company Artlist confirmed that it would lay off 200 of its 500 employees in what has been categorised as a strategic move rather than one influenced by financial pressure.

The global airborne geophysical services market was valued at more than $1.35bn in 2026.

Opinion

Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan secured a decisive election victory, resilient pro-Russian opposition could slow his efforts to advance peace with Azerbaijan and deepen ties with the West, says Carnegie Politika analysis.

Syria envisioned as key cog in new energy distribution network.

Relations across the Gulf have been ruined following more than 100 days of war between Iran, Israel and the US with the Gulf neighbours to the south and east of the Islamic Republic left exposed following a new memorandum with the Trump admin.

A planned EU-backed gas pipeline linking Bosnia & Herzegovina to Croatia could intensify political divisions within the country rather than easing its energy vulnerabilities.

Compromised politicians in Ukraine and Europe see the continuation of the war as a lifeline for their expiring careers.

Data

The Czech National Bank changed the main interest rate for the first time since May 2025.

Public support for European Union membership remains robust across much of the EU’s eastern neighbourhood, with Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova showing particularly high levels of trust and optimism.

Tourism from China fell for a sixth straight month, dropping 60.4% year on year to 313,000. The decline followed remarks last November by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi regarding Japan’s potential involvement in a Taiwan-related contingency

This local depreciation is not an isolated event, as the Malaysian currency has traded lower against a comprehensive basket of major global and regional peers.

The shift was driven by elevated global crude oil prices. Vietnam remains reliant on imported crude to supply its refineries, leaving it exposed to fluctuations in international energy markets.

Features

With the eruption of Lebanon's economic, financial, and monetary crisis in 2019, and the collapse of the long-standing exchange rate peg of 1,500 Lebanese pounds to the US dollar, the foreign exchange market descended into chaos.

Lebanon is stepping up preparations for a new round of negotiations with Israel, scheduled for June 22 in Washington. President Joseph Aoun is holding a series of high-level political and technical meetings aimed at securing practical results.

Uzbekistan-Korea Business Forum showed that for Seoul, Central Asia country has become a key partner.

As billions of dollars are poured into infrastructure across Central Asia and the Caucasus, the official responsible for coordinating much of the Middle Corridor says the route's biggest challenge is not physical infrastructure but governance

Uzbekistan is seeking to transform itself from a supplier of raw materials into a producer of higher-value industrial goods as the global scramble for critical minerals accelerates.

Blogs

Prime Minister Edi Rama’s government has been targeted by a wave of mass protests dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution".

The E3 European leaders met in London over the weekend to thrash out a new formula to take to the Kremlin and end the war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, the document they produced takes us all the way back to the very beginning of the process.

What began as an environmental campaign against the planned development linked to Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has rapidly evolved into a broader protest movement.

He’s passionate but ultimately dull. While he’s directing matters, the regime can happily go about dismantling the opposition.

German businessmen are going to the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia’s premier investment forum, in a public show of the fraying commitment to cutting off commercial ties under the sanctions regime.

bneGREEN

The Philippines’ Department of Energy has welcomed the certification of 13 renewable energy projects valued at PHP344.62bn ($5.7bn) under the government’s Green Lane initiative in the first five months of 2026.

Country's plans to expand agricultural production, industrial output and exports are running into an increasingly uncomfortable and stark reality.

The Baltic power system is undergoing structural change following the 2025 integration of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the continental European electricity grid.

Vietnam is betting on wind power to fuel its green transition amid the energy uncertainty, while fuel price is changeable.

OMV Petrom will build a large-scale solar and battery storage project in Bulgaria, in a further expansion of its renewable energy portfolio in Southeast Europe.

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